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Role hub · Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Police Officer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of police officers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$76,210
Hourly
$36.64
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Police Officers maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. The median pay is $76,210 a year ($36.64 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$76,210
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
670,520
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation

Data Government data groups this job as Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (O*NET-SOC 33-3051.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Police Officers

SalaryPolice Officer salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →ResumePolice Officer resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsPolice Officer interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Career changePolice Officer career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What police officers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. 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.
  2. Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
  3. Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.
  4. Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
  5. Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
  6. Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
  7. Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
  8. Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Active ListeningcoreSocial PerceptivenesscoreSpeakingcoreCritical ThinkingActive LearningJudgment and Decision MakingReading ComprehensionCoordinationService Orientation

Knowledge areas: Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Psychology, Education and Training.

Tools and technology

Software police officers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • Computer aided composite drawing softwareGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Computer aided dispatch softwareHelpdesk or call center software
  • Crime mapping softwareMap creation software
  • DesignWare 3D EyeWitnessGraphics or photo imaging software
  • ESRI ArcViewGeographic information system
  • SmartDraw LegalGraphics or photo imaging software
  • SmugMug FlickrGraphics or photo imaging software
  • The CAD Zone The Crime ZoneGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Microsoft AccessData base user interface and query softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology

Also called: Cop, Deputy Sheriff, K-9 Handler (Canine Handler), Law Enforcement Officer, Patrol Officer, Peace Officer.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).