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Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in California
Get the information you need to know about working as a Police or Sheriff's Patrol Officer.
You’re in luck! Jobs for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.
- Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in California earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.
What Major Will Prepare You For a Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer Career?
- Natural Resources & Conservation
- Natural Resource Management
- Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
- Criminal Justice & Corrections
- Criminal Justice & Police Science
- Criminalistics & Criminal Science
- Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing
- Law Enforcement Record-Keeping & Evidence Management
- Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations
- Protective Services Operations
- Maritime Law Enforcement
How Many Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers Work in California?
In California, there were 72,680 people working as Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in the year 2018.
There were 73,000 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers employed in this state in 2017.
That’s a decline of 320 jobs between 2017 and 2018.
The typical state has 7,830 Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers working in it, which means California has more Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers than average.
Job Projections for California
Jobs for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in this state are growing at a rate of 5.0% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.0%.
California Annual Job Openings
The BLS is projecting 4,860 annual Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers job openings in California, and 73,200 total jobs in the year 2026.
Nationwide, the prediction is 49,500 annual jobs and 731,900 total jobs in 2026.
What do Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers Make in California?
In 2018 wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers ranged from $63,250 to $138,970 with $104,790 being the median annual salary.
Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $30.41 to $66.81. The median hourly rate was $50.38.
In 2017 the median pay for this field was $48.78 an hour.
The hourly rate grew by $1.60.
The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.
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Top California Metros for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers
The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers.
| Metro | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 30,190 | $108,640 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | 8,530 | $116,830 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 6,240 | $97,680 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | 4,790 | $91,830 |
| Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA | 4,280 | $93,850 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 3,660 | $126,690 |
| Fresno, CA | 1,710 | $86,270 |
| Bakersfield, CA | 1,310 | $76,620 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 1,240 | $109,060 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | 1,080 | $82,210 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 1,070 | $116,080 |
| Modesto, CA | 730 | $84,620 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | 720 | $112,630 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA | 660 | $60,800 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 640 | $102,860 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | 560 | $97,380 |
| Chico, CA | 380 | $78,950 |
| Merced, CA | 340 | $91,330 |
| Redding, CA | 340 | $109,780 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 320 | $104,050 |
| Napa, CA | 260 | $108,590 |
| Yuba City, CA | 250 | $83,610 |
| El Centro, CA | 240 | $68,830 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 210 | $71,950 |
| Madera, CA | 190 | n/a |
Top States for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers Employment
The table below shows the states where most Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers work.
| State | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| California | 72,680 | $104,790 |
| Texas | 60,260 | $61,590 |
| New York | 53,560 | $78,750 |
| Florida | 37,650 | $57,320 |
| Illinois | 30,370 | $82,670 |
| Pennsylvania | 27,850 | $67,440 |
| Ohio | 24,890 | $60,980 |
| Georgia | 22,410 | $42,070 |
| North Carolina | 22,350 | $46,160 |
| New Jersey | 19,950 | $85,330 |
| Virginia | 18,080 | $53,570 |
| Massachusetts | 16,830 | $68,030 |
| Michigan | 16,270 | $57,690 |
| Missouri | 13,510 | $48,080 |
| Tennessee | 13,410 | $44,270 |
| Maryland | 12,650 | $67,030 |
| Indiana | 12,340 | $54,570 |
| Louisiana | 11,810 | $40,480 |
| Alabama | 11,410 | $44,560 |
| Arizona | 11,320 | $65,220 |
Below are the states where Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers get paid the most:
| State | Annual Median Salary |
|---|---|
| California | $104,790 |
| New Jersey | $85,330 |
| Alaska | $84,830 |
| Illinois | $82,670 |
| Washington | $78,870 |
| New York | $78,750 |
| Colorado | $74,550 |
| Hawaii | $73,370 |
| Oregon | $71,670 |
| District of Columbia | $71,570 |
Related Careers in California
You may also be interested in the following careers:
| Occupation | California Employment Total |
|---|---|
| Transit and Railroad Police | 300 |
References
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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