CDCareer Decision

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Salary in Columbia, SC

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in Columbia, SC have a median annual salary of $59,260, with 2,840 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $46,650 at the 10th percentile to $98,840 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$59,260

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$28.49

Employment

2,840

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$46,650
10th
$48,000
25th
$59,260
Median
$75,700
75th
$98,840
90th

Local compared with national

Columbia, SC

$59,260

Median annual · 2025

United States

$76,210

Median annual · 2025

The Columbia, SC median is 22.2% below the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $16,950).

Top skills

  1. 1.Active ListeningImportance 4.1
  2. 2.Social PerceptivenessImportance 4.0
  3. 3.SpeakingImportance 3.9
  4. 4.Critical ThinkingImportance 3.9
  5. 5.Active LearningImportance 3.9
  6. 6.Reading ComprehensionImportance 3.8
  7. 7.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 3.8
  8. 8.CoordinationImportance 3.6
  9. 9.Service OrientationImportance 3.6
  10. 10.PersuasionImportance 3.5
  11. 11.MonitoringImportance 3.3
  12. 12.WritingImportance 3.1

Career information

Education and experience

Experience
None
Job zone
3

Technology used

  • Computer aided composite drawing software
  • Computer aided dispatch software
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Crime mapping software
  • Database software
  • DesignWare 3D EyeWitness
  • Email software
  • ESRI ArcView
  • IBM Lotus 1-2-3
  • Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System IAFIS
  • Law enforcement information databases
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Office software

Common 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.
  • Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.
  • Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in other locations

Other occupations in Columbia, SC