Police Officer Salary by U.S. City (2026)

Police Officer salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026

Cities tracked
50
National average
$76,550

How Police Officer pay varies by city

Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Police Officer pay ranges from about $51,050 in New Orleans, LA to $145,340 in San Jose, CA (median wage). But the highest nominal pay isn’t the best deal once local prices are factored in: adjusted for cost of living, Wichita, KS delivers the strongest real buying power (about $301,475 in national-average dollars). The U.S. national average for this role is about $76,550.

The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.

CityMedian10th %ile90th %ileCost of living
(US = 100)		Real pay
(COL-adjusted)
San Jose, CA$145,340$92,140$179,720110.4$126,341
Oakland, CA$134,860$88,050$156,080115.6$110,870
San Francisco, CA$134,860$88,050$156,080115.6$110,870
Long Beach, CA$113,460$79,000$134,870113.6$98,736
Los Angeles, CA$113,460$79,000$134,870113.6$98,736
Sacramento, CA$112,230$70,930$142,230106.7$102,747
San Diego, CA$109,540$65,870$136,090111.9$95,990
Seattle, WA$109,180$84,310$138,340111.1$98,540
Fresno, CA$103,290$71,360$139,540102.2$99,209
Chicago, IL$102,520$58,840$113,420103.6$89,416
Denver, CO$100,790$69,490$105,840105.8$88,002
New York, NY$96,130$54,770$148,300112.6$86,671
Portland, OR$91,420$76,240$102,670105.4$84,433
Minneapolis, MN$91,000$62,680$107,320104.8$84,104
Colorado Springs, CO$89,590$58,860$95,390100.7$84,373
Miami, FL$89,570$58,680$177,660114.2$86,891
Boston, MA$88,986$49,401$116,694108.3$82,192
Milwaukee, WI$87,830$57,950$93,83096.9$83,663
Mesa, AZ$87,140$63,920$92,870103.3$78,729
Phoenix, AZ$87,140$63,920$92,870103.3$78,729
Columbus, OH$86,640$52,870$103,84095.5$88,029
Omaha, NE$85,430$53,410$89,57091.9$84,288
Philadelphia, PA$85,390$58,300$117,040102.6$83,966
Arlington, TX$84,280$61,630$100,330——
Dallas, TX$84,280$61,630$100,330103.1$80,551
Austin, TX$84,210$60,580$104,89098.1$83,678
Las Vegas, NV$80,730$63,610$101,070100.2$81,764
Cleveland, OH$79,420$45,490$94,340——
Indianapolis, IN$77,270$57,350$83,35095.7$76,179
Washington, DC$77,160$60,200$104,050108.9$73,647
Baltimore, MD$75,330$54,340$101,100104.5$73,110
Detroit, MI$74,610$50,340$86,250100.3$71,038
Fort Worth, TX$71,557$42,635$91,801103.1$69,412
San Antonio, TX$69,920$51,720$85,53094.7$76,302
Oklahoma City, OK$69,340$42,790$107,31090.4$83,333
Houston, TX$69,080$56,900$96,32098.6$75,363
Albuquerque, NM$68,210$49,250$68,72095.5$67,057
El Paso, TX$64,980$44,850$87,13089.9$77,509
Memphis, TN$64,360$40,550$76,89092.2$64,516
Jacksonville, FL$62,330$43,740$81,97099.5$62,734
Tucson, AZ$61,063$34,110$79,92996.9$63,019
Kansas City, MO$60,710$48,460$91,21092.5$72,042
Charlotte, NC$60,680$45,850$84,03097.3$64,655
Raleigh, NC$60,570$46,730$85,77098.2$63,847
Nashville, TN$60,220$41,700$76,79096.3$61,139
Atlanta, GA$59,840$48,760$76,140100.1$61,564
Louisville, KY$56,960$47,850$73,78093.1$63,390
Tulsa, OK$56,050$36,750$83,51089.2$67,019
Wichita, KS$54,650$40,950$73,86018.3$301,475
New Orleans, LA$51,050$39,840$65,55026.3$204,715

“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.

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