State rankings

Best State To Be a Police Officer

California has the highest Overall Score (Higher is Better) (61.87), followed by Illinois (60.38) and Connecticut (60.08). Alaska has the lowest (26.2).

LawPolitics & Government51 states · 4 metricsUpdated Mar 30, 2025Original page
2 sources
51 of 51 states
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Overall Score (Higher is Better)

Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
43.59
Middle half 37.83 – 49.61
Average
43.9
51 states
Highest
61.87
California
Lowest
26.2
Alaska

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Overall Score (Higher is Better)
#
1California61.875th2nd12th
2Illinois60.384th6th7th
3Connecticut60.0836th1st4th
4District of Columbia56.471st3rd48th
5Colorado56.146th8th26th
6Maryland54.8142nd7th5th
7Ohio53.6229th5th25th
8Minnesota53.2315th18th3rd
9Washington51.6914th13th20th
10Massachusetts51.2726th12th14th
11Tennessee50.9612th4th45th
12Texas50.113rd11th44th
12New York50.112nd40th2nd
14Rhode Island49.1132nd21st8th
15Georgia48.6421st10th32nd
16South Dakota48.0325th9th35th
17Maine47.444th17th10th
18Pennsylvania46.0417th26th23rd
19Oklahoma45.778th15th46th
20Missouri45.5620th19th30th
21Utah44.6745th25th6th
22Virginia44.6216th28th21st
23Indiana44.5339th14th31st
24Wyoming43.6513th22nd39th
25Michigan43.6322nd23rd33rd
26North Carolina43.5930th27th19th
27Delaware43.5741st24th15th
28New Jersey43.4819th39th11th
29Nebraska42.449th46th13th
30Iowa42.4228th30th18th
31New Hampshire42.237th44th1st
32Florida4224th42nd9th
33Arizona41.8110th32nd28th
34Idaho41.2849th20th29th
35Vermont39.6540th38th16th
36North Dakota39.4518th49th17th
37New Mexico39.367th16th51st
38Wisconsin37.948th31st24th
39Kansas37.7633rd34th37th
40South Carolina37.6727th33rd37th
41Montana36.6631st35th36th
42Louisiana34.8611th43rd47th
43Mississippi34.6235th37th43rd
44Kentucky34.5546th29th38th
45Oregon34.550th41st27th
46Alabama33.6623rd47th41st
47West Virginia33.2634th45th40th
48Arkansas32.0543rd36th50th
49Nevada31.4338th48th42nd
50Hawaii30.2747th51st22nd
51Alaska26.251st50th49th

What correlates with Overall Score (Higher is Better)?

Pearson r against 2,096 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Overall Score (Higher is Better) tend to score higher on these

  1. # StoresKroger by State
    r = +0.69 · strong · n = 33
    Plot
  2. Five Percent Income Tax RateTop 1 Percent Threshold by State
    r = +0.65 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Avg Income of 99th–99.5th Percentile FamiliesIncome Inequality by State
    r = +0.65 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Avg Income of 99.9th–99.99th Percentile FamiliesIncome Inequality by State
    r = +0.65 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. MathAverage ACT Score by State
    r = +0.63 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Avg Income of 95th–99th Percentile FamiliesIncome Inequality by State
    r = +0.63 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Overall Score (Higher is Better) tend to score lower on these

  1. % of Median Income Spent On GroceriesGrocery Prices by State
    r = −0.62 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Ratio of Funding to Income Taxes PaidFederal Aid by State
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. % of Adult Meth Users 2018 and 2019Meth Use by State
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Obesity Rate 18-39Most Obese States
    r = −0.54 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. % of Meth Users (12+) 2022 and 2023Meth Use by State
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Meth Use Past MonthDrug Use by State
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Overall Score (Higher is Better)?
California has the highest Overall Score (Higher is Better), at 61.87, followed by Illinois (60.38) and Connecticut (60.08).
Which state has the lowest Overall Score (Higher is Better)?
Alaska has the lowest Overall Score (Higher is Better), at 26.2.
What is the median Overall Score (Higher is Better) across US states?
The median is 43.59 across the 51 US states with data.
Where does this best state to be a police officer data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Best & Worst States to Be a Police Officer - Wallet Hub; Florida near bottom of "best states to be a police officer," study says - WKRG.

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