Careers / Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$76,210
United States, 2025
Employment
670,520
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.
- O*NET code
- 33-3051.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases.
- Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
- Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
- Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.
- Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
- Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
- Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
- Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$47,510
25th percentile
$59,290
75th percentile
$97,600
90th percentile
$115,120
Most important skills
- Active Listening4.1
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Active Learning3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Coordination3.6
- Service Orientation3.6
- Persuasion3.5
- Monitoring3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 15 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
15
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.1 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Coordination | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Service Orientation | 3.6 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.5 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Writing | 3.1 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $136,140 | 2,590 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $132,000 | 7,990 | 2025 |
| Carson City, NV | $131,210 | 110 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $129,900 | 690 | 2025 |
| Napa, CA | $127,310 | 300 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $125,910 | 590 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $122,970 | 400 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $121,980 | 24,720 | 2025 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $120,900 | 730 | 2025 |
| Oxnard, CA | $119,640 | 1,330 | 2025 |
| CA | $118,880 | 65,940 | 2025 |
| Salinas, CA | $118,220 | 930 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $115,120 | 4,520 | 2025 |
| Anchorage, AK | $115,020 | 570 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $111,460 | 5,420 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $110,400 | 4,950 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $107,810 | 22,680 | 2025 |
| Redding, CA | $107,270 | 290 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $105,540 | 54,270 | 2025 |
| Fairbanks, AK | $105,370 | 110 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.