First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives Salaries by State

Q: How much do first-line supervisors of police and detectives make in the U.S.?

The median first-line supervisors of police and detectives salary in the United States is $106,040 per year (mean $112,190), and about 80% earn between $63,350 and $165,110.

Q: How much do first-line supervisors of police and detectives make per hour?

Roughly $54 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $112,190 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Q: Which state pays first-line supervisors of police and detectives the most?

California has the highest average pay for first-line supervisors of police and detectives at $163,210 per year (median $163,960).

Q: What is the job outlook for first-line supervisors of police and detectives?

Employment is projected to change +2.9% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 10,900 openings per year.

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for first-line supervisors of police and detectivess across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $112,190 ≈ $54/hr

National median salary $106,040

Total employment 154,610 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +2.9% About as fast as average

Annual openings 10,900 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 160,800 → 165,400 (+4,600)

Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $64,000–$88,000 $88,000–$99,000 $99,000–$107,000 $107,000–$125,000 $125,000–$163,000 U.S. mean $112,190

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

California$163,210
District of Columbia$148,210
New Jersey$145,430
Washington$142,670
Alaska$138,520

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

Mississippi$64,330
Arkansas$68,630
Louisiana$71,320
West Virginia$75,730
Tennessee$79,340

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	California	$163,210	$163,960	$78	+45.5%	13,200
2	District of Columbia	$148,210	$134,760	$71	+32.1%	1,230
3	New Jersey	$145,430	$142,990	$70	+29.6%	7,650
4	Washington	$142,670	$136,280	$69	+27.2%	2,750
5	Alaska	$138,520	$137,320	$67	+23.5%	320
6	Delaware	$137,020	$131,080	$66	+22.1%	410
7	Hawaii	$130,720	$140,590	$63	+16.5%	700
8	Nevada	$130,320	$132,100	$63	+16.2%	1,300
9	New York	$129,240	$124,080	$62	+15.2%	12,750
10	Illinois	$126,760	$135,080	$61	+13%	4,900
11	Colorado	$124,850	$126,810	$60	+11.3%	2,790
12	Oregon	$121,320	$122,130	$58	+8.1%	1,470
13	Maryland	$119,710	$120,700	$58	+6.7%	6,700
14	Connecticut	$114,260	$109,360	$55	+1.8%	2,240
15	Arizona	$113,270	$104,850	$54	+1%	2,790
16	Minnesota	$112,740	$118,750	$54	+0.5%	2,870
17	Massachusetts	$112,480	$104,320	$54	+0.3%	5,540
18	Virginia	$112,200	$101,230	$54	+0%	3,750
19	Utah	$111,170	$110,500	$53	-0.9%	1,360
20	Texas	$111,000	$111,000	$53	-1.1%	5,540
21	Pennsylvania	$106,920	$102,400	$51	-4.7%	5,690
22	Florida	$106,840	$100,880	$51	-4.8%	9,900
23	Nebraska	$104,350	$106,100	$50	-7%	730
24	Vermont	$102,750	$99,280	$49	-8.4%	210
25	New Hampshire	$102,590	$100,060	$49	-8.6%	940
26	Rhode Island	$102,480	$97,690	$49	-8.7%	820
27	Iowa	$101,540	$98,840	$49	-9.5%	1,370
28	North Dakota	$101,300	$98,300	$49	-9.7%	440
29	Wisconsin	$100,710	$97,120	$48	-10.2%	2,080
30	Ohio	$99,370	$98,380	$48	-11.4%	5,170
31	Idaho	$98,640	$94,920	$47	-12.1%	930
32	South Dakota	$97,350	$87,810	$47	-13.2%	190
33	Michigan	$96,410	$98,140	$46	-14.1%	3,290
34	Maine	$96,150	$92,350	$46	-14.3%	440
35	New Mexico	$94,900	$92,200	$46	-15.4%	1,320
36	Montana	$93,560	$89,380	$45	-16.6%	450
37	Wyoming	$92,510	$91,400	$44	-17.5%	430
38	North Carolina	$91,280	$91,100	$44	-18.6%	4,820
39	Missouri	$91,070	$94,440	$44	-18.8%	3,490
40	Indiana	$90,810	$81,540	$44	-19.1%	1,700
41	Kansas	$88,260	$82,950	$42	-21.3%	2,330
42	Kentucky	$88,030	$80,390	$42	-21.5%	1,600
43	Oklahoma	$87,300	$82,830	$42	-22.2%	2,420
44	Georgia	$84,690	$80,120	$41	-24.5%	7,910
45	Alabama	$82,000	$75,970	$39	-26.9%	1,900
46	South Carolina	$81,260	$73,700	$39	-27.6%	1,560
47	Tennessee	$79,340	$74,770	$38	-29.3%	4,430
48	West Virginia	$75,730	$74,280	$36	-32.5%	490
49	Louisiana	$71,320	$70,470	$34	-36.4%	3,120
50	Arkansas	$68,630	$62,290	$33	-38.8%	2,100
51	Mississippi	$64,330	$59,860	$31	-42.7%	2,060

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 494 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$175,840	$182,200	1,690
2	Vallejo, CA	$175,070	$174,110	150
3	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$172,590	$163,910	70
4	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$167,600	$171,030	4,840
5	Napa, CA	$164,150	$164,760	50
6	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$163,810	$159,420	1,020
7	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$163,700	$181,170	370
8	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$161,440	$164,830	110
9	Anchorage, AK	$161,100	$158,070	110
10	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$159,810	$157,470	1,300

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing first-line supervisors of police and detectivess (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	$181,600	$160,750	6,150
2	Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$181,600	$159,510	6,300
3	State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$119,780	$123,260	16,100
4	State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$117,730	$119,750	18,450
5	Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$106,920	$112,800	149,820
6	Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS	$106,920	$112,800	149,820
7	Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$106,370	$112,410	153,290
8	Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local	$106,040	$112,190	154,610
9	Hospitals, Local Government Owned	$104,110	$101,830	80
10	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, Local Government Owned	$104,110	$101,830	80
11	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$103,880	$97,500	30
12	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals, State Government Owned	$103,880	$97,500	30

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K

17,279

$10-20k

1,615

$20-30k

1,134

$30-40k

2,418

$40-50k

6,869

$50-60k

9,323

$60-70k

9,040

$70-80k

8,932

$80-90k

11,664

$90-100k

7,317

$100-110k

9,818

$110-120k

6,544

$120-130k

7,373

$130-140k

6,157

$140-150k

4,842

$150-160k

5,331

$160-170k

2,104

$170-180k

2,504

$180-190k

2,497

$190-200k

1,381

$200k+

3,576

Pay by age band

16-24

$43,520

25-34

$70,213

35-44

$96,681

45-54

$105,159

55-64

$73,989

65+

$29,543

Education level

Bachelors Degree

$99,678

1 or more years of college credit, no degree

$75,833

Associates Degree

$77,221

Masters Degree

$116,162

Regular high school diploma

$71,832

Some college, but less than 1 year

$70,139

GED or alternative credential

$85,068

Doctorate degree

$122,525

12th grade - no diploma

$24,699

Professional degree

$123,109

Grade 11

$84,133

No schooling completed

$16,683

Grade 4

$50,976

Grade 8

$11,293

Grade 10

$2,447

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time

106,582 · $103,402

Part-time

3,404 · $33,067

Race / ethnicity

White

$92,400

Black

$77,526

Two or More Races

$82,595

Other

$59,167

Asian

$89,097

American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races

$68,861

American Indian

$73,763

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

$41,934

Alaska Native

—

Top fields of study

Criminal Justice And Fire Protection

$113,102

Business Management And Administration

$102,335

Psychology

$104,386

Accounting

$96,394

Political Science And Government

$98,106

Criminology

$78,019

Liberal Arts

$85,381

Sociology

$77,734

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Reading Comprehension

4.0

Active Listening

4.0

Speaking

4.0

Critical Thinking

4.0

Monitoring

4.0

Social Perceptiveness

4.0

Management of Personnel Resources

4.0

Active Learning

3.9

Coordination

3.9

Persuasion

3.9

Instructing

3.9

Writing

3.8

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do first-line supervisors of police and detectives make in the U.S.?

The median first-line supervisors of police and detectives salary in the United States is $106,040 per year (mean $112,190), and about 80% earn between $63,350 and $165,110.

How much do first-line supervisors of police and detectives make per hour?

Roughly $54 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $112,190 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays first-line supervisors of police and detectives the most?

California has the highest average pay for first-line supervisors of police and detectives at $163,210 per year (median $163,960).

What is the job outlook for first-line supervisors of police and detectives?

Employment is projected to change +2.9% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 10,900 openings per year.