How much does a Police Officer make in New York?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $93,050 for Police Officers in New York as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $56,550 and the 75th-percentile is $105,910.

How many Police Officers does New York employ?

BLS OES counts 54,360 Police Officers employed in New York 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 New York rank for Police Officer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, New York 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.

Is New York a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Police Officers?

No — New York's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New York?

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 New York.

Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for New York police?

Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. New York departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.

How Much Do Police Officers Make in New York? $93K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Median Police Officer salary in New York: $93,050 nominal, $86,284 real (BEA RPP basis).
Police Officer ranking: #6 on the BLS table, #7 once cost of living is in.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Wage envelope: $53,020 (P10) to $116,950 (P90), with quartiles at $56,550 and $105,910.

Wage breakdown — New York

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$53,020	$49,165
P25 (lower quartile)	$56,550	$52,438
P50 (median)	$93,050	$86,284
P75 (upper quartile)	$105,910	$98,208
P90 (top tier)	$116,950	$108,446
Mean	$86,880	$80,562
Employment	54,360 Police Officers in New York

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New York index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	107.8
Goods	105.1
Services	135.4
Rents	122.0

New York is a high-cost state — RPP 107.8 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (122.0) and services (135.4).

After-tax take-home — New York (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)	$93,050	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$11,718	12.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,535	4–10.9% (graduated; +NYC residents 3.078–3.876%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,118	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$69,679	74.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$64,612	÷ (107.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $69,679 (74.9% of gross). After the 107.8 RPP, real take-home is $64,612. Local-tax overlay: New York City residents add 3.078–3.876% city tax (Yonkers ~16.75% surtax on state liability). NYC numbers are not in the table — subtract roughly $3,257/year for a 5-borough resident at this income.

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. New York sits at #6 on nominal pay and #7 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New York falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Police Officer make in New York?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $93,050 for Police Officers in New York as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $56,550 and the 75th-percentile is $105,910.
How many Police Officers does New York employ?: BLS OES counts 54,360 Police Officers employed in New York 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 New York rank for Police Officer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, New York 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.
Is New York a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Police Officers?: No — New York's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New York?: 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 New York.
Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for New York police?: Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. New York departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.

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 New York 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.