Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Phoenix, AZ
Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Phoenix, AZ: $87,140/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $63,920 – $92,870 · about 8,290 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($69,845) by +$17,295 (+25%).
What it's really worth in Phoenix
With Phoenix's cost of living at 105 (US=100), that $87,140 has the buying power of about $83,247 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $79,935 · median home $448,352 · median rent $1,742/mo.
How Phoenix ranks for this job
On raw pay, Phoenix, AZ is 38th of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Phoenix's cost of living is applied, it ranks 65th.
The headline number flatters Phoenix. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, police & sheriff's patrol officers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Phoenix
A median home in Phoenix, AZ costs $448,352 — about 5.1× 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 $1,742/mo works out at 24% 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 Phoenix.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Phoenix | Rent vs Phoenix |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $145,340 | +67% | 2.1× |
| San Francisco, CA | $134,860 | +55% | 1.9× |
| Vallejo, CA | $125,130 | +44% | 1.4× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $118,140 | +36% | 1.9× |
Other jobs in Phoenix
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.