How many Police Officers does Montana employ?

BLS OES counts 2,020 Police Officers employed in Montana in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Montana rank for Police Officer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Montana 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 Montana?

P10 to P90 spans $51,820 to $88,090. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

What are the limits of these Police Officer salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for Montana?

No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. Montana police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in Montana runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.

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

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 Montana, 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 Montana state and local positions at the senior level.

Montana Police Officer Salary: BLS $70K Median, Real $77K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Montana Police Officer median pay at $69,910. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $76,812.
Bottom quartile $59,560, top quartile $78,640. The P90 ($88,090) is roughly 1.7× the P10 ($51,820).
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $6,902 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #26 of 51; nominal rank is #30.

Wage breakdown — Montana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$51,820	$56,936
P25 (lower quartile)	$59,560	$65,440
P50 (median)	$69,910	$76,812
P75 (upper quartile)	$78,640	$86,404
P90 (top tier)	$88,090	$96,787
Mean	$69,670	$76,549
Employment	2,020 Police Officers in Montana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Montana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.0
Goods	96.5
Services	72.8
Rents	76.8

Montana sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.0), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 76.8.

After-tax take-home — Montana (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)	$69,910	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$6,627	9.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,017	4.7–5.9% (2 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,348	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$54,917	78.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$60,340	÷ (91.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $54,917 (78.6% of gross). After the 91.0 RPP, real take-home is $60,340.

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. Montana sits at #30 on nominal pay and #26 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Montana climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How many Police Officers does Montana employ?: BLS OES counts 2,020 Police Officers employed in Montana in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Montana rank for Police Officer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Montana 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 Montana?: P10 to P90 spans $51,820 to $88,090. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
What are the limits of these Police Officer salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for Montana?: No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. Montana police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in Montana runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.
Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in Montana?: 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 Montana, 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 Montana 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 Montana 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.