SOC 33-3051 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — California
California · 10 metro areas compared
The median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in California is $118,880 per year, well above the national median of $76,210.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +3.1%
- Openings per year
- 53,700
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for California.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in California is $118,880 per year, well above the national median of $76,210. The gap of 56.0% is among the widest recorded for this occupation. Pay ranges from under $76,300 at the tenth percentile to more than $153,190 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $97,280 to $126,780.
The area has 65,940 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 3.6 of every thousand jobs. Among the 51 states with published data for this occupation, California ranks 1st by median wage. San Jose leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $136,140. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 147th of 793 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $76,300 | +0.1% |
| 25th | $97,280 | +27.6% |
| Median (50th) | $118,880 | +56.0% |
| 75th | $126,780 | +66.4% |
| 90th | $153,190 | +101.0% |
| Mean | $112,980 | +48.2% |
Highest-paying metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose | $136,140 | 2,590 | |
| 2 | San Francisco | $132,000 | 7,990 | |
| 3 | Vallejo | $129,900 | 690 | |
| 4 | Napa | $127,310 | 300 | |
| 5 | Santa Rosa | $125,910 | 590 | |
| 6 | Santa Cruz | $122,970 | 400 | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | $121,980 | 24,720 | |
| 8 | Santa Maria | $120,900 | 730 | |
| 9 | Oxnard | $119,640 | 1,330 | |
| 10 | Salinas | $118,220 | 930 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in California run 10.7% above the national average, so the median of $118,880 buys what $107,389 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 40.9% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$118,880as reported by BLSLocal price level
110.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$107,389US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $118,880 a year, 56.0% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $76,300 to $153,190 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 65,940 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 1st of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is San Jose, at $136,140.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in California?
The median annual wage is $118,880, or $57.15 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $76,210, so pay in California is 56.0% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in California earns more than $153,190 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $76,300 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in San Jose, at $136,140 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 65,940 jobs in this occupation in California. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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