State rankings

Police Officers by State

California has the highest Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in 2024 (65,170), followed by Texas (62,230) and New York (54,360). Vermont has the lowest (1,080).

Politics & GovernmentPopulation51 states · 3 metricsUpdated Mar 26, 2025Original page
1 source
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Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers, 2024

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest 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
7,590
Middle half 2,980 – 14,060
Average
12,801
51 states
Highest
65,170
California
Lowest
1,080
Vermont

Biggest changes · 2023 → 2024

51 states have a value in both years.

Largest increases

Largest decreases

Data

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

51 states · # = rank by Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
#
1California65,17012,980100
2Texas62,2305,81090
3New York54,36012,470970
4Florida48,3409,480100
5Illinois29,7905,550—
6Pennsylvania24,2805,310—
7Ohio24,0505,240—
8North Carolina21,6504,970—
9New Jersey21,6207,420320
10Georgia21,5407,370—
11Virginia19,4003,620—
12Michigan16,2903,100—
13Louisiana14,3403,100—
14Tennessee13,7805,050—
15Indiana13,4801,490—
16South Carolina12,8201,420—
17Missouri12,7503,36080
18Arizona12,4302,600—
19Alabama12,0601,860—
20Wisconsin11,5001,720—
21Colorado9,4802,48050
22Maryland9,4207,550230
22Oklahoma9,4202,170—
24Minnesota8,9204,120—
25Washington8,3702,570—
26Mississippi7,5901,850—
27Kentucky7,0901,700—
28Connecticut6,5002,130—
29Kansas6,1602,250—
30Nevada5,4901,270—
30Arkansas5,4902,010—
32Utah5,3701,290—
33Iowa5,1101,360—
34Oregon4,9501,350—
35New Mexico4,8301,330—
35District of Columbia4,8301,250—
37Nebraska3,620760—
38West Virginia3,130450—
39Massachusetts2,83017,000—
40Idaho2,630930—
41New Hampshire2,550750—
42Hawaii2,390690—
43Montana2,020490—
44Maine1,930410—
45South Dakota1,890190—
46North Dakota1,850430—
47Delaware1,790400—
48Rhode Island1,780850—
49Wyoming1,300440—
50Alaska1,160330—
51Vermont1,080180—

What correlates with Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (2024)?

Pearson r against 2,098 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Population Below Poverty LevelPoverty Rate by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Chlamydia CasesSTD Rates by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Kidney Transplant RecipientsKidney Transplant Waiting List by State
    r = +0.98 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Separated PopulationDivorce Rate by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. Waiting List CandidatesKidney Transplant Waiting List by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. EmploymentSonographer Salary by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. FTE Convictions RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.74 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. OpportunityBest States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  3. White Alone % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = −0.53 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Off Grid Via Kuhl Safety ScoreOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Opportunity RankWorst States to Live inA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. White Alone or in Combination % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = −0.51 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers?
California has the highest Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in 2024, at 65,170, followed by Texas (62,230) and New York (54,360).
Which state has the lowest Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers?
Vermont has the lowest Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in 2024, at 1,080.
What is the median Est. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers across US states?
The median is 7,590 across the 51 US states with data in 2024.
Where does this police officers by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

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