Police Pensions by State 2025

New York

$67,992

Alaska

$66,930

Massachusetts

$66,214

Oregon

$64,317

Colorado

$63,198

Hawaii

$62,991

New Jersey

$61,552

Wisconsin

$61,196

Pennsylvania

$60,774

South Dakota

$60,629

Virginia

$60,108

California

$59,835

Minnesota

$59,380

Rhode Island

$59,374

Iowa

$59,175

Maryland

$58,842

New Mexico

$58,753

Illinois

$58,751

Indiana

$57,692

Connecticut

$57,675

Ohio

$57,639

Nebraska

$57,509

Idaho

$57,045

Missouri

$56,870

Arizona

$56,499

Texas

$56,485

South Carolina

$56,260

Washington

$56,083

Oklahoma

$55,980

Nevada

$55,228

North Carolina

$55,099

Tennessee

$55,027

Alabama

$54,953

Kansas

$54,071

New Hampshire

$53,801

Michigan

$52,843

Kentucky

$52,657

Louisiana

$51,845

Vermont

$51,713

Georgia

$51,194

North Dakota

$51,044

Wyoming

$50,162

Arkansas

$50,134

Maine

$48,719

Montana

$48,432

Utah

$47,128

West Virginia

$46,937

Florida

$45,307

Mississippi

$45,232

Delaware

$44,678

State	Police Pensions Avg. Annual Pay↓	Police Pension Forfeiture Law Exists	Police Pension Garnishment Law Exists	Minimum Age for Police Retirement
New York	$67,992	No	No	60 years of age, or at any age after completing 20 full years of creditable service.
Alaska	$66,930	Yes	No	Early retirement age 55 if vested, and normal - age 60 if vested. Any age with 30 years service or 20 years of police/fire service.
Massachusetts	$66,214	Yes	Yes	65 years of age.
Oregon	$64,317	No	No	Any age with 30 years of service. 55 with 25 years of service.
Colorado	$63,198	Yes	Yes	Normal Retirement benefits are age 50 with 25 years of service credit.
Hawaii	$62,991	No	No	Age 55 with 25 years of service.
New Jersey	$61,552	Yes	No	65 years of age.
Wisconsin	$61,196	No	No	Age 55 (early retirement). 65 for normal retirement.
Pennsylvania	$60,774	Yes	Yes	55 years of age with 10 years of service. those with 20+ years qualify for the state police pension.
South Dakota	$60,629	No	No	55 with three years of service (early retirement), full benefits upon attaining Rule of 85 (age + years of service = 85 or higher).
Virginia	$60,108	Yes	No	Age 60 with at least five years of service. 50 with at least 25 years of service.
California	$59,835	Yes	No	Service retirement is a lifetime benefit. In general, you can retire as early as age 50 with five years of service credit unless all service was earned on or after January 1, 2013. Then you must be at least age 52 to retire.
Minnesota	$59,380	No	No	Between age 50 and 60.
Rhode Island	$59,374	Yes	No	With 20 years of service, or age 62+ upon attaining Rule of 95 (age + years of service = 95 or more).
Iowa	$59,175	No	No	55 years of age with 22 years of service.
Maryland	$58,842	Yes	No	Age 60 with at least eight years of eligible service.
New Mexico	$58,753	No	Yes	Any age with 25 or more years of service credit; Age 60 or older with 20 or more years of service credit
Illinois	$58,751	Yes	No	A police officer age 55 or more who has 10 or more years of service in that capacity shall be entitled at his option to receive a monthly pension for his service as a police officer computed by multiplying 2.5% for each year of such service by his or her final average salary.
Indiana	$57,692	No	Yes	65 years of age, or age 50 with 15 or more years of creditable service.
Connecticut	$57,675	Yes	Yes	Age 55 with at least 10 but less than 25 years of service. Any age with 20 years of of hazardous duty service.
Ohio	$57,639	Yes	No	Age 52 with at least 25 years of service, For those whose OP&F membership began on or before July 1, 2013, normal service retirement eligibility is age 48 years with at least 25 years of service.
Nebraska	$57,509	No	No	Following age fifty-five but before age sixty and with twenty-five years of service.
Idaho	$57,045	No	No	Rule of 80 - when age and years of service add up to 80.
Missouri	$56,870	Yes	No	Upon the completion of 20 years of creditable service or upon reaching the age of 55.
Arizona	$56,499	Limited	No	Members can retire with a lifetime benefit as early as age 50 once they have acquired 5 years of service.
Texas	$56,485	Limited	No	Any age with 23 years of credible service, age 55 with 20 years of credible service or at age 62 with any credible service years.
South Carolina	$56,260	No	No	After 27 years of service or at age 55.
Washington	$56,083	No	No	Age 53 with at least five years of service.
Oklahoma	$55,980	Yes	No	Police in the system can retire at age 50 with at least 10 years of service or after 20 years of service, whichever is later.
Nevada	$55,228	Yes	No	Any age with 30 years of service. 50 years of age with 20 years of service. 60 years of age with 10 years of service. 65 years of age with 5 years of service.
North Carolina	$55,099	No	No	Any age with 30 years of creditable service. 55 with five years of creditable service.
Tennessee	$55,027	Yes	No	Unreduced benefits begin at age 53 once your age plus your years of service equal 75 points or at age 60 with 5 years of service. Early Service Pension You must be at least 50 years old and have 10 years of service.
Alabama	$54,953	Yes	No	Service Retirement Based on years of service - minimum 15 years qualified service and age 52 - maximum benefits 30 years regardless of age - eligible to retire with 25 years qualified service regardless of age.
Kansas	$54,071	No	No	65 years of age.
New Hampshire	$53,801	No	No	At age 60, regardless of years of service.
Michigan	$52,843	Yes	No	65 years of age.
Kentucky	$52,657	Yes	No	Age 57+ may retire with full benefits if age and years of service equal 87 (Rule of 87). Age 65 may retire with full benefits after at least 60 months of service.
Louisiana	$51,845	Yes	Yes	Thirty years or more of service, at any age; Twenty-five years or more of service, at age fifty-five or thereafter.
Vermont	$51,713	Yes	No	Age 57 (mandatory).
Georgia	$51,194	No	No	Age 55 with 10 or 15 years of service.
North Dakota	$51,044	No	No	Age 55, or earlier upon attaining Rule of 85 (age + years of service = 85 or higher).
Wyoming	$50,162	No	No	Any age with 20 years of service. 60 when vested.
Arkansas	$50,134	No	No	With 30 years of actual service can retire at any age to receive retirement benefits. A member who has more than five years of service, but less than 30 years of actual service, can retire at age 65.
Maine	$48,719	Yes	Yes	Age 55 with 25 years of creditable service.
Montana	$48,432	Limited	No	Eligible for service retirement benefits when you complete: 20 years of membership service at any age; or. 5 years of membership service and 50 years of age.
Utah	$47,128	Yes	No	65 with 4 years of service. 62 with 10 years of service. 60 with 20 years of service.
West Virginia	$46,937	No	No	Age 50 with 25+ years of service. 52 with 20+ years of service.
Florida	$45,307	Yes	No	Any police officer who completes 10 or more years of creditable service as a police officer and attains age 55, or completes 25 years of creditable service as a police officer and attains age 52, and for such period has been a member of the retirement fund is eligible for normal retirement benefits.
Mississippi	$45,232	No	No	65 years of age.
Delaware	$44,678	No	No	A member may retire after accumulating 20 years of credited service or shall be retired upon reaching the age of 55 years.

Forfeiture Law: Arkansas and Montana have laws that strip the pension of a public employee if they commit an unlawful killing, but only if the person they kill is another public employee. Texas has a pension forfeiture law that only applies to the state Employees’ Retirement System, which does include some state police officers, but does not cover the vast majority of police around the state.

What Is a Pension?

A pension is an older retirement plan. This retirement plan typically pays people a certain amount of money for the rest of their life, typically a percentage of their final salary. Most private companies have done away with this type of retirement plan because it is an unbounded expense. However, the government still uses pensions to pay state employees during retirement, which includes police officers. It is critical to take a closer look at the requirements that someone has to meet to get their pension paid when they leave public service.

What Are the Different Requirements That Police Officers Need To Meet?

When police officers retire, they get access to all of their pension benefits. This includes continued pay, health insurance, dental insurance, and any additional benefits they had been given during their years of service. However, there are a few requirements that they need to meet.

Many police pensions have an age requirement. Someone has to reach a certain age before they can retire. Other police forces might have a minimum number of years of service that someone has to meet. For example, in New York, a police officer must have twenty years of service to be eligible for a pension.

Many people start their law enforcement career at a young age, but that is not universal. Some people start later, and they might be required to serve the same number of years. Many pension plans have requirements for age and service that both have to be met before someone is fully vested.

What Does a Typical Pension Plan Look Like?

A normal pension plan requires someone to work until they are between the ages of 55 and 65, depending on the state. Then, the pension plan pays out a salary that is typically an average of the last three to ten years of salary that they drew. This allows someone to continue to get paid for the rest of their life. They don’t need to worry about running out of money from a 401k or 403b.

There are often additional vesting requirements that need to be met. Some people who leave early might not qualify for their full pension, but they might qualify for a separate pool of money that has a matching level of up to a certain percentage. Typically, police officers are fully vested after 10 years, but it varies from place to place.

Is a Pension Plan Better Than a 401k?

A pension plan is not necessarily better than a 401k. It is just different. A 401k is the retirement plan that most companies use. In a 401k, the retiree has access to a defined pool of money that varies depending on the market performance and their investments. A 401k can run out, leaving a retiree wondering how to support themselves for the last few years of their life. On the other hand, a pension will only run out if the state defaults on their salaries, which is nearly impossible. Therefore, a pension has more certainty to it than a 401k, but the requirements to qualify for a pension are more pronounced.