Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of police and sheriff's patrol officers to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035 (about 24,200 more jobs), with about 51,500 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $76,210 a year ranks 268th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +3.5%
- Openings a year
- 51,500
- Median pay
- $76,210
- Pay rank
- 268th of 825
Is employment of police and sheriff's patrol officers growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of police and sheriff's patrol officers to rise 3.5% (about 24,200 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the +1.1% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 24 protective service occupations with a projection. That change ranks 357th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 693,200 |
| Employment, 2035 | 717,300 |
| Projected change | +3.5% |
| Openings a year | 51,500 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 693,200 jobs here differ from the 670,520 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 51,500 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 77th most of 830 occupations. About 95% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 2,420 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for police and sheriff's patrol officers rank?
The median of $76,210 a year ranks 268th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Typical on-the-job training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | +0.2% | 7,800 | $93,790 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | +3.3% | 10,600 | $106,040 |
| Transit and Railroad Police | +3.2% | 300 | $90,230 |
| Bailiffs | -1.9% | 1,600 | $56,600 |
| Private Detectives and Investigators | +5.5% | 3,200 | $51,220 |
| Transportation Security Screeners | -4.2% | 4,500 | $66,770 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | -7.4% | 28,400 | $58,940 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | -2.5% | 3,700 | $77,970 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.