Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Atlanta, GA
Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Atlanta, GA: $59,840/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $48,760 – $76,140 · about 12,970 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($69,845) by −$10,005 (-14%).
What it's really worth in Atlanta
With Atlanta's cost of living at 100 (US=100), that $59,840 has the buying power of about $59,554 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $82,625 · median home $382,938 · median rent $1,840/mo.
How Atlanta ranks for this job
On raw pay, Atlanta, GA is 136th of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Atlanta's cost of living is applied, it ranks 142nd.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Atlanta sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Atlanta
A median home in Atlanta, GA costs $382,938 — about 6.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,840/mo works out at 37% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where police & sheriff's patrol officers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Atlanta.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Atlanta | Rent vs Atlanta |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $145,340 | +143% | 2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $134,860 | +125% | 1.8× |
| Vallejo, CA | $125,130 | +109% | 1.3× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $118,140 | +97% | 1.8× |
Same job elsewhere in GA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Atlanta | Rent vs Atlanta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta, GA | $52,440 | −12% | 0.8× |
| Savannah, GA | $51,290 | −14% | 1× |
| Columbus, GA | $47,540 | −21% | 0.7× |
Staying in GA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires police & sheriff's patrol officers around Atlanta
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Centers for Disease Control · Government
Other jobs in Atlanta
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.