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Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in Virginia

Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in Virginia

Get the information you need to know about working as a Police or Sheriff's Patrol Officer.

9.4% Jobs Projection
$53,570 Median Salary
1,430 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in Virginia are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

  • Projected employment for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in Virginia is growing faster than average.

  • Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in Virginia earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers Work in Virginia?

In Virginia, there were 18,080 people working as Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in the year 2018.

There were 18,700 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 620 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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The typical state has 7,830 Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers working in it, which means Virginia has more Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers than average.

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Job Projections for Virginia

Jobs for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in this state are growing at a rate of 9.4% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 7.0%.

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Virginia Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 1,430 annual job openings, and 20,660 total jobs in 2026 for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in this state.

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 Virginia?

In 2018 wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers ranged from $38,170 to $82,180 with $53,570 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $18.35 to $39.51. The median hourly rate was $25.76.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $25.39 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.37.

The median salary in Virginia is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top Virginia 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
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 15,950 $71,120
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 4,070 $51,670
Richmond, VA 3,150 $52,390
Roanoke, VA 790 $45,460
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA 660 $42,160
Charlottesville, VA 460 $48,500
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 430 $47,970
Lynchburg, VA 390 $40,390
Winchester, VA-WV 210 $50,680
Harrisonburg, VA 190 $44,930
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA 140 $43,530

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

You may also be interested in the following careers:

What Major Will Prepare You For a Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer Career?

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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