Average Police Constable Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Police Constable salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Police Constable Make in United States?

A Police Constable working in United States will typically earn around 78,500 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 43,200 USD to the highest average salary of 115,600 USD.

Average Annual Salary
78,500 USD
Average Monthly Salary
6,541 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
43,200 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,600 USD

Highest Annual Salary
115,600 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
9,633 USD

These are average salaries for a Police Constable in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Police Constable to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Police Constable salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Police Constable Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Police Constable will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Police Constable can earn between 43,200 USD and 115,600 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Police Constable in United States is 70,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 70,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 70,700 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Police Constable salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 51,100 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 51,100 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 87,700 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 87,700 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Police Constable Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average police constable salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Police Constable in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 46,900 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Police Constable salary would increase to 61,600 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Police Constable, the average salary would be 79,500 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 95,000 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Police Constable with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 105,800 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Police Constable with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 112,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
46,900 USD
2-5 Years +26%
61,600 USD
5-10 Years +32%
79,500 USD
10-15 Years +18%
95,000 USD
15-20 Years +11%
105,800 USD
20+ Years +6%
112,700 USD

Police Constable Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Police Constable in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Police Constable in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 61,600 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Police Constable in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 83,300 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Police Constable in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 109,000 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
61,600 USD
Certificate or Diploma +37%
83,300 USD
Bachelor's Degree +29%
109,000 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Police Constable Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male police constable will earn an average of 81,200 USD, while a female police constable will earn around 75,400 USD.

This means that a male police constable earns approximately 8% more than a female police constable for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
81,200 USD
Female -8%
75,400 USD

Police Constable Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Police Constable in United States is around 12% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that a Police Constable in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 10% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Police Constable Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Police Constable is a low bonus based job, with 27% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

73% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 2%.

Received Bonus
27%
No Bonus
73%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Police Constable

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Police Constable in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Armed Forces Officer Government and Defence 76,600 USD
Army Officer Government and Defence 77,300 USD
Cartographer Government and Defence 68,900 USD
Customs Officer Government and Defence 60,600 USD
Defense Officer Government and Defence 111,700 USD
Electoral Project Coordinator Government and Defence 124,500 USD
Federal Government Worker Government and Defence 87,700 USD
Government Affairs Advisor Government and Defence 146,900 USD
Government Affairs Director Government and Defence 168,700 USD
Government Affairs Representative Government and Defence 158,700 USD
Government Officer Government and Defence 137,100 USD
Government Property Inspector Government and Defence 134,100 USD
Government Relations Associate Government and Defence 141,000 USD
International Cooperation Specialist Government and Defence 153,700 USD
Military Personnel Government and Defence 116,400 USD
Public Affairs Specialist Government and Defence 114,600 USD
Public Information Officer Government and Defence 71,700 USD
Rifleman Government and Defence 58,600 USD
Soldier Government and Defence 72,400 USD
VAT Fraud Investigator Government and Defence 93,300 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 73,700 USD
Austin 83,200 USD
Baltimore 72,400 USD
Boston 78,100 USD
Bristol 58,200 USD
Chicago 85,800 USD
Cincinnati 61,800 USD
Cleveland 69,400 USD
Dallas 83,700 USD
Denver 78,100 USD
Detroit 80,700 USD
Honolulu 61,700 USD
Houston 90,000 USD
Indianapolis 83,800 USD
Iowa City 61,400 USD
Jacksonville 78,400 USD
Kansas City 74,600 USD
Kent 63,700 USD
Las Vegas 74,200 USD
Long Beach 73,100 USD
Los Angeles 90,900 USD
Memphis 74,700 USD
Miami 70,900 USD
Minneapolis 67,500 USD
New Orleans 63,700 USD
New York 87,600 USD
Oakland 65,100 USD
Oklahoma City 78,100 USD
Orlando 65,200 USD
Philadelphia 88,600 USD
Phoenix 85,700 USD
Sacramento 72,800 USD
San Antonio 87,400 USD
San Diego 90,600 USD
San Francisco 80,500 USD
San Jose 82,200 USD
Seattle 81,400 USD
Tampa 68,900 USD
Vancouver 67,000 USD
Washington D.C. 81,000 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 81,200 USD
Alaska 63,400 USD
Arizona 79,000 USD
Arkansas 76,800 USD
California 82,200 USD
Colorado 74,300 USD
Connecticut 76,000 USD
Delaware 67,400 USD
District of Columbia 66,200 USD
Florida 87,700 USD
Georgia 79,000 USD
Hawaii 69,600 USD
Idaho 72,000 USD
Illinois 80,400 USD
Indiana 79,000 USD
Iowa 74,300 USD
Kansas 71,600 USD
Kentucky 76,600 USD
Louisiana 80,200 USD
Maine 67,300 USD
Maryland 81,200 USD
Massachusetts 83,700 USD
Michigan 79,000 USD
Minnesota 78,200 USD
Mississippi 74,200 USD
Missouri 74,300 USD
Montana 71,200 USD
Nebraska 73,800 USD
Nevada 71,800 USD
New Hampshire 69,700 USD
New Jersey 86,400 USD
New Mexico 69,700 USD
New York 84,800 USD
North Carolina 78,200 USD
North Dakota 65,100 USD
Ohio 85,500 USD
Oklahoma 71,600 USD
Oregon 73,100 USD
Pennsylvania 86,400 USD
Rhode Island 63,500 USD
South Carolina 77,300 USD
South Dakota 67,800 USD
Tennessee 74,700 USD
Texas 81,900 USD
Utah 72,700 USD
Vermont 64,500 USD
Virginia 80,900 USD
Washington 80,500 USD
West Virginia 69,700 USD
Wisconsin 78,500 USD
Wyoming 66,200 USD

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