By Joanna Putman
Police1
WASHINGTON — WalletHub has released its 2024 survey evaluating the best and worst states to be a police officer.
To identify the best states for law enforcement careers, WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key areas: opportunity and competition, law enforcement training requirements, and job hazards and protections. Key metrics considered include median law enforcement income, police deaths per 1,000 officers, and state and local police funding, according to the report.
“Our study aims to provide a transparent view into the conditions that affect law enforcement personnel across the United States,” said a WalletHub spokesperson.
The WalletHub survey ranked California, Illinois, Connecticut, the District of Columbia and Maryland as the top five states to be a police officer, with the Golden State taking the top spot. The least desirable states to be a police officer, according to the WalletHub survey, are West Virginia, Arkansas, Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska.
“Some states make protecting and serving the public in a law enforcement career more appealing than others. The best states for police officers offer competitive compensation, supplemented by solid training that helps minimize the chances of deadly violence between officers and civilians. State-level policies like ‘red flag laws’ or ‘Blue Alerts’ also contribute to a better environment for police,” said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe.
The report also include key statistics that factored into the WalletHub rankings. Washington D.C. has the most law enforcement officers per capita as well as a tie for the highest violent crime rate. Washington, New York and Michigan follow top-ranked Illinois as the states offering the highest median income for officers, adjusted for the cost of living. South Carolina, Mississippi and Arkansas offer the lowest median income, according to the report.
Check our where your state ranked in the survey:
Union leaders say the annual WalletHub survey is “flawed and misleading” and ignores several critical issues faced by officers daily
