Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Huntsville, AL
Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Huntsville, AL: $54,720/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $42,080 – $78,280 · about 1,010 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($69,845) by −$15,125 (-22%).
What it's really worth in Huntsville
With Huntsville's cost of living at 94 (US=100), that $54,720 has the buying power of about $58,331 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $78,521 · median home $316,645 · median rent $1,385/mo.
How Huntsville ranks for this job
On raw pay, Huntsville, AL is 142nd of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Huntsville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 147th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Huntsville sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Huntsville
A median home in Huntsville, AL costs $316,645 — about 5.8× 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 $1,385/mo works out at 30% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
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 Huntsville.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Huntsville | Rent vs Huntsville |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $145,340 | +166% | 2.6× |
| San Francisco, CA | $134,860 | +146% | 2.4× |
| Vallejo, CA | $125,130 | +129% | 1.7× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $118,140 | +116% | 2.4× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Huntsville | Rent vs Huntsville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | $61,530 | +12% | 1× |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | $59,470 | +9% | 1.1× |
| Daphne, AL | $55,850 | +2% | 1.2× |
| Mobile, AL | $51,820 | −5% | 1× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires police & sheriff's patrol officers around Huntsville
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- U.S. Army/Redstone Arsenal · Government
- NASA Marshall Space Flight Center · Government
Other jobs in Huntsville
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.