Best/Worst

Best State To Be a Police Officer 2025

Overall Score (Higher is Better)

25
30
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40
45
50
55
60
65
State
Overall Score (Higher is Better)
Opportunity and Competition Rank
Training Requirements Rank
Job Hazards and Protection Rank
California Flag
California61.95th2nd12th
Illinois Flag
Illinois60.44th6th7th
Connecticut Flag
Connecticut60.136th1st4th
District of Columbia Flag
District of Columbia56.51st3rd48th
Colorado Flag
Colorado56.16th8th26th
Maryland Flag
Maryland54.842nd7th5th
Ohio Flag
Ohio53.629th5th25th
Minnesota Flag
Minnesota53.215th18th3rd
Washington Flag
Washington51.714th13th20th
Massachusetts Flag
Massachusetts51.326th12th14th
Tennessee Flag
Tennessee5112th4th45th
New York Flag
New York50.12nd40th2nd
Texas Flag
Texas50.13rd11th44th
Rhode Island Flag
Rhode Island49.132nd21st8th
Georgia Flag
Georgia48.621st10th32nd
South Dakota Flag
South Dakota4825th9th35th
Maine Flag
Maine47.444th17th10th
Pennsylvania Flag
Pennsylvania4617th26th23rd
Oklahoma Flag
Oklahoma45.88th15th46th
Missouri Flag
Missouri45.620th19th30th
Utah Flag
Utah44.745th25th6th
Virginia Flag
Virginia44.616th28th21st
Indiana Flag
Indiana44.539th14th31st
Wyoming Flag
Wyoming43.613th22nd39th
Michigan Flag
Michigan43.622nd23rd33rd
North Carolina Flag
North Carolina43.630th27th19th
Delaware Flag
Delaware43.641st24th15th
New Jersey Flag
New Jersey43.519th39th11th
Nebraska Flag
Nebraska42.49th46th13th
Iowa Flag
Iowa42.428th30th18th
New Hampshire Flag
New Hampshire42.237th44th1st
Florida Flag
Florida4224th42nd9th
Arizona Flag
Arizona41.810th32nd28th
Idaho Flag
Idaho41.349th20th29th
Vermont Flag
Vermont39.640th38th16th
North Dakota Flag
North Dakota39.518th49th17th
New Mexico Flag
New Mexico39.47th16th51st
Wisconsin Flag
Wisconsin37.948th31st24th
Kansas Flag
Kansas37.833rd34th37th
South Carolina Flag
South Carolina37.727th33rd37th
Montana Flag
Montana36.731st35th36th
Louisiana Flag
Louisiana34.911th43rd47th
Mississippi Flag
Mississippi34.635th37th43rd
Kentucky Flag
Kentucky34.546th29th38th
Oregon Flag
Oregon34.550th41st27th
Alabama Flag
Alabama33.723rd47th41st
West Virginia Flag
West Virginia33.334th45th40th
Arkansas Flag
Arkansas3243rd36th50th
Nevada Flag
Nevada31.438th48th42nd
Hawaii Flag
Hawaii30.347th51st22nd
Alaska Flag
Alaska26.251st50th49th
  • The term “best” can be subjective and open to interpretation. For example, does “best” mean highest pay, greatest level of safety, least stressful workday, or something else?
  • As such, different sources would likely evalutate states using slightly different criteria, which could result in a different ranking.
  • Criteria used in this particular “best” analysis include competitiveness of compensation, quality of training (particularly that which helps minimize the chances of deadly violence between officers and civilians), and the presence of state-level policies such as “red flag laws” or “Blue Alerts”, which contribute to a better environment for police.