Police Officer pay and requirements by state
Police officers are hired by city police departments and county sheriff's offices, but every state sets the minimum standards through its peace officer standards and training (POST) board: age, education, background and a basic academy of roughly 480 to 900 hours. Most states hire at 21, some at 18. Pay is set by each city; we show the largest city's official scale for each state.
At each state's largest-city agency (46 states with a published scale), the median starting salary is $69,743. The highest is Washington at $117,792; the lowest is New Jersey at $53,688. Minimum hiring age: 21 in 25 states, 18 in 13 states, 19 in 2 states, 20 in 2 states.
Highest starting pay
- 1. Washington$117,792
- 2. California$93,730
- 3. Minnesota$90,064
- 4. Hawaii$87,108
- 5. Alaska$85,405
- 6. Iowa$84,635
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Tap a state for hiring steps, academy, pension and sources.
| State | Standards body | Largest-city start | Training hours | Min. age | Pension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission (APOSTC) | $59,779 | 560 | 19 | Employees' Retirement System of Alabama (ERS), Retirement Systems of Alabama - Tier 2 |
| Alaska | Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC) | $85,405 | 650 | 21 | Alaska Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) - Defined Contribution Retirement (DCR) Plan |
| Arizona | Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) | $75,847 | 672.25 | 21 | Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) - Tier 3 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) | $55,585 | 520 | 21 | Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System (LOPFI) |
| California | California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) | $93,730 | 680 | 21 | Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions (LAFPP) - Tier 6 |
| Colorado | Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (POST) | $81,046 | 554 | 21 | Fire and Police Pension Association of Colorado (FPPA) - Statewide Retirement Plan, Defined Benefit Component |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC) | — | 1,321 | 21 | Connecticut Municipal Employees' Retirement System (CMERS) |
| Delaware | Delaware Police Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST, formerly the Council on Police Training) | $67,600 | 584 | 21 | Delaware County and Municipal Police/Firefighter Pension Plan (11 Del. C. ch. 88) |
| Florida | Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (FDLE) | $71,892 | 770 | 19 | Florida Retirement System (FRS) Pension Plan - Special Risk Class |
| Georgia | Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) | $60,987 | 784 | 18 | City of Atlanta Defined Benefit Pension Plan (police) |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) | $87,108 | — | — | Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii (ERS), Contributory Class (police officers) |
| Idaho | Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council | $69,514 | 565 | 21 | Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI) Base Plan, Police Officer member class |
| Illinois | Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) | $63,636 | 640 | — | Policemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago (PABF), Illinois Pension Code Article 5 - Tier 2 |
| Indiana | Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board (LETB) / Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) | $74,459 | 600 | 21 | 1977 Police Officers' and Firefighters' Pension and Disability Fund (1977 Fund), Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) |
| Iowa | Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) and Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council | $84,635 | 620 | 18 | Municipal Fire & Police Retirement System of Iowa (MFPRSI, Iowa Code chapter 411) |
| Kansas | Kansas Commission on Peace Officers' Standards and Training (KS-CPOST) | $70,975 | 571 | 21 | Kansas Police and Firemen's Retirement System (KP&F), administered by KPERS |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Law Enforcement Council (KLEC) - Peace Officer Professional Standards (POPS) | $66,768 | 800 | 21 | County Employees Retirement System (CERS) Hazardous, Tier 3 Hybrid Cash Balance Plan (Kentucky Public Pensions Authority) |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council, Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (LCLE) | $62,992 | 496 | — | Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System of Louisiana (MPERS), Hazardous Duty Subplan |
| Maine | Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA) Board of Trustees, Maine Department of Public Safety | $69,160 | 720 | 21 | Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS) - PLD Consolidated Plan, Special Plan 3C |
| Maryland | Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission (Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions, MPCTC) | $68,359 | 850 | 21 | Maryland State Retirement and Pension System - Law Enforcement Officers' Pension System (LEOPS) |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, with the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) | $70,764 | 800 | 21 | Boston Retirement System (M.G.L. c. 32 contributory retirement; police in Group 4) |
| Michigan | Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) | $62,003 | 615 | 18 | Police and Fire Retirement System of the City of Detroit (Component I hybrid plan) |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST Board) | $90,064 | — | — | Public Employees Retirement Association of Minnesota (PERA) - Police & Fire Plan |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training (BLEOST), Mississippi Department of Public Safety | — | 480 | 21 | Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS) - Hybrid Retirement Plan (Tier 5) |
| Missouri | Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Program, Missouri Department of Public Safety | $68,928 | 600 | 21 | Police Retirement System of Kansas City, Missouri (Tier II) |
| Montana | Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council | $69,056 | — | 18 | Montana Municipal Police Officers' Retirement System (MPORS), administered by MPERA |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (Crime Commission) - Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center (NLETC) and Police Standards Advisory Council (PSAC) | $79,580 | — | 21 | City of Omaha Police and Fire Retirement System |
| Nevada | Nevada Commission on Peace Officers' Standards and Training (POST) | $65,874 | 480 | 21 | Public Employees' Retirement System of Nevada (NVPERS), police/firefighter members |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council (PSTC) | $69,430 | 684 | — | New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS) - Group II (police and fire), Tier C |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Police Training Commission (PTC) | $53,688 | — | 18 | Police and Firemen's Retirement System of New Jersey (PFRS) |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Law Enforcement Standards and Training Council / New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy (NMLEA) | $80,829 | 672 | 18 | Public Employees Retirement Association of New Mexico (PERA), Municipal Police Member Coverage Plans |
| New York | New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) / Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC) | $55,942 | — | 20 | New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement System (NYSLRS PFRS), Tier 6 |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission (NC Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Standards Division) | $65,478 | 868 | 20 | North Carolina Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System (LGERS) - law enforcement officers |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board | $66,498 | — | — | City of Fargo police pension plan |
| Ohio | Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC), Ohio Attorney General | $74,227 | 740 | 21 | Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund (OP&F) |
| Oklahoma | Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) | $67,735 | 600 | 21 | Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System (OPPRS) |
| Oregon | Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) | $84,053 | 640 | 21 | Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), OPSRP Pension Program (police officer/firefighter) |
| Pennsylvania | Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) | $69,973 | 919 | 18 | City of Philadelphia Municipal Pension Fund (no statewide plan for municipal police in Pennsylvania) |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Police Officers' Commission on Standards and Training / Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy (RIMPA) | $78,147 | — | — | Rhode Island Municipal Employees' Retirement System (MERS), optional police and fire plan (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 45-21.2) |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA) / Law Enforcement Training Council | $58,115 | — | 21 | South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System (PORS), administered by PEBA |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training Commission | $72,030 | 520 | 21 | South Dakota Retirement System (SDRS), Class B Public Safety |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Commission | $70,904 | 488 | 18 | Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) for participating cities and counties |
| Texas | Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) | $81,000 | 736 | 21 | Houston Police Officers' Pension System (HPOPS) |
| Utah | Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), Utah Department of Public Safety | $76,315 | — | 21 | Utah Retirement Systems (URS) Tier 2 Public Safety and Firefighter Retirement System |
| Vermont | Vermont Criminal Justice Council (VCJC) / Vermont Police Academy | $81,653 | — | 18 | Vermont Municipal Employees' Retirement System (VMERS), Group C |
| Virginia | Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) | $61,734 | 480 | 18 | Virginia Retirement System (VRS), political subdivision hazardous duty (enhanced) benefits |
| Washington | Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) | $117,792 | 720 | — | Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System (LEOFF) Plan 2 |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Subcommittee (Governor's Committee on Crime, Delinquency and Correction), Division of Administrative Services - Justice and Community Services | — | 850 | 18 | West Virginia Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System (MPFRS), administered by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB), Wisconsin Department of Justice Training and Standards Bureau | — | 720 | 18 | Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), protective occupation participant |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) | $66,306 | — | 18 | Wyoming Retirement System (WRS) Law Enforcement Pension Plan |
Cities and counties set their own pay; the figure shown is the largest city's official base scale, before overtime. Training hours are the state minimum. Each state page links the sources.