Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Salary in Washington, DC (2024)
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn a median of $83,430 per year ($40.11 per hour) based on 14,590 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +9.4% against the national median of $76,290 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where police and sheriff's patrol officers actually sit across the pay range in Washington, DC, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30.88 | $64,240 | |
| 25th percentile | $35.15 | $73,110 | |
| Median | $40.11 | $83,430 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $47.94 | $99,710 | |
| 90th percentile | $55.79 | $116,040 | |
| Average (mean) | $41.76 | $86,860 |
How Washington, DC compares
The local median of $83,430 runs +9.4% above the US median of $76,290 for this occupation; it pays 21.9% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($68,430); within the metro it ranks 236th of 703 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC — this occupation | $83,430 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $76,290 | +9.4% |
| Washington, DC — all occupations | $68,430 | +21.9% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $133,190 | -37.4% |
The location quotient of 1.08 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.2%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 236th of 703 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Washington, DC
To put $83,430 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 236th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $225,340 | 390 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $224,330 | 1,900 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $223,030 | 1,740 |
| Psychiatrists | $219,970 | 570 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $218,490 | 230 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $199,990 | 150 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $191,880 | 20,770 |
| Lawyers | $191,880 | 48,170 |
| Physicians, All Other | $191,880 | 11,170 |
| Nuclear Engineers | $189,770 | 300 |
Where police and sheriff's patrol officers earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $60,890 to $133,190. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $133,190 | 7,860 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $115,630 | 24,310 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $114,200 | 4,070 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $109,190 | 4,990 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $108,890 | 23,340 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $106,850 | 5,920 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $105,790 | 54,830 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $103,170 | 4,750 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $97,070 | 2,250 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $95,920 | 5,300 |
See the full national picture on the Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for police and sheriff's patrol officers in Washington, DC?
The median annual wage is $83,430, or $40 per hour. That means half of the police and sheriff's patrol officers working in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $86,860.
What do the highest and lowest paid police and sheriff's patrol officers in Washington, DC earn?
The bottom 10% earn $64,240 or less, while the top 10% earn $116,040 or more — a spread of $51,800 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $73,110 and $99,710.
Is police and sheriff's patrol officers pay in Washington, DC above the local average?
Yes, it is 21.9% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $68,430. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Washington, DC pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $83,430 the metro median is 9.4% higher than the US median of $76,290 for police and sheriff's patrol officers. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $60,890 to $133,190.
How many police and sheriff's patrol officers work in Washington, DC?
BLS counts about 14,590 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 4.68 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 1.08 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 0.7%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.