What does the top of the Police Officer pay scale look like in Alaska?

The 90th percentile lands at $136,070. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $127,980.

How many Police Officers does Alaska employ?

BLS OES counts 1,160 Police Officers employed in Alaska in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Alaska different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Alaska's overall index of 103.3 reflects rents 96.7, services 113.3, and goods 103.7.

Where does Alaska rank for Police Officer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Alaska ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Alaska?

P10 to P90 spans $69,370 to $136,070. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Alaska?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Alaska.

Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in Alaska?

BLS aggregates city PD, county sheriff, and state troopers under SOC 33-3051 (federal officers are separately classified under 33-3052 and not reflected in this page). In Alaska, state troopers typically lead on starting base, big-city PDs lead on overtime opportunity and detail income, and sheriff's deputies usually trail on base but lead on assignment flexibility. Federal LE (FBI, USMS, ATF, DEA, ICE, Border Patrol) pays under the GS scale plus LEAP availability pay (25%) and locality, putting federal LE pay above most Alaska state and local positions at the senior level.

Police Officer Pay in Alaska: $100K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Alaska Police Officer median pay at $100,300. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $97,099.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $69,370 · P25 $81,190 · P75 $127,980 · P90 $136,070.
Nominal: #4/51 · Real: #3/51 — ranking shifts by 1 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Alaska

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$69,370	$67,156
P25 (lower quartile)	$81,190	$78,599
P50 (median)	$100,300	$97,099
P75 (upper quartile)	$127,980	$123,895
P90 (top tier)	$136,070	$131,727
Mean	$103,670	$100,361
Employment	1,160 Police Officers in Alaska

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Alaska index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	103.3
Goods	103.7
Services	113.3
Rents	96.7

Alaska's overall RPP (103.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Alaska (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Police Officer)	$100,300	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,313	13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,673	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$79,314	79.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$76,783	÷ (103.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Alaska state-tax burden means for Police Officer take-home

Alaska levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $5,015 a year for a Police Officer at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $76,783 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $76,290 for Police Officers with mean pay of $79,320 and total employment of 666,990. Alaska sits at #4 on nominal pay and #3 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Alaska climbs 1 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Police Officer pay scale look like in Alaska?: The 90th percentile lands at $136,070. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $127,980.
How many Police Officers does Alaska employ?: BLS OES counts 1,160 Police Officers employed in Alaska in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Alaska different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Alaska's overall index of 103.3 reflects rents 96.7, services 113.3, and goods 103.7.
Where does Alaska rank for Police Officer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Alaska ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Alaska?: P10 to P90 spans $69,370 to $136,070. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Alaska?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Alaska.
Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in Alaska?: BLS aggregates city PD, county sheriff, and state troopers under SOC 33-3051 (federal officers are separately classified under 33-3052 and not reflected in this page). In Alaska, state troopers typically lead on starting base, big-city PDs lead on overtime opportunity and detail income, and sheriff's deputies usually trail on base but lead on assignment flexibility. Federal LE (FBI, USMS, ATF, DEA, ICE, Border Patrol) pays under the GS scale plus LEAP availability pay (25%) and locality, putting federal LE pay above most Alaska state and local positions at the senior level.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-3051, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Alaska Police Officer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.