Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Portland, OR
Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Portland, OR: $91,420/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $76,240 – $102,670 · about 2,170 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($69,845) by +$21,575 (+31%).
What it's really worth in Portland
With Portland's cost of living at 107 (US=100), that $91,420 has the buying power of about $85,668 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $90,451 · median home $552,022 · median rent $1,797/mo.
How Portland ranks for this job
On raw pay, Portland, OR is 27th of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Portland's cost of living is applied, it ranks 50th.
The headline number flatters Portland. 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 Portland
A median home in Portland, OR costs $552,022 — about 6× 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 $1,797/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 Portland.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Portland | Rent vs Portland |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $145,340 | +59% | 2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $134,860 | +48% | 1.8× |
| Vallejo, CA | $125,130 | +37% | 1.3× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $118,140 | +29% | 1.9× |
Same job elsewhere in OR
| Metro | Median pay | vs Portland | Rent vs Portland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eugene, OR | $85,360 | −7% | 1× |
| Salem, OR | $80,190 | −12% | 0.9× |
Staying in OR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires police & sheriff's patrol officers around Portland
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- City of Portland · Government
Other jobs in Portland
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.