How much does a Police Officer make in Vermont?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $63,690 for Police Officers in Vermont as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,220 and the 75th-percentile is $76,710.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Police Officer salary in Vermont?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.1 for Vermont), the real-wage equivalent is $65,564 — what the $63,690 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $60,962 to $78,967.

How many Police Officers does Vermont employ?

BLS OES counts 1,080 Police Officers employed in Vermont 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 Vermont rank for Police Officer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Vermont 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.

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 Vermont?

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. Vermont 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 Vermont runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.

Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for Vermont 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. Vermont 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 Vermont? $64K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Police Officers in Vermont earn a BLS median of $63,690, with real take-home of $65,564 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
P25-P75 spread runs $59,220 to $76,710; P10 floor $46,500, P90 ceiling $89,110.
Police Officer ranking: #36 on the BLS table, #38 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Vermont

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$46,500	$47,868
P25 (lower quartile)	$59,220	$60,962
P50 (median)	$63,690	$65,564
P75 (upper quartile)	$76,710	$78,967
P90 (top tier)	$89,110	$91,732
Mean	$68,220	$70,227
Employment	1,080 Police Officers in Vermont

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Vermont index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.1
Goods	97.9
Services	122.1
Rents	82.3

Vermont's overall RPP (97.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Vermont (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)	$63,690	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,505	8.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,158	3.35–8.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,872	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$51,155	80.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$52,660	÷ (97.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $51,155 (80.3% of gross). After the 97.1 RPP, real take-home is $52,660.

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. Vermont sits at #36 on nominal pay and #38 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Vermont falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Police Officer make in Vermont?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $63,690 for Police Officers in Vermont as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,220 and the 75th-percentile is $76,710.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Police Officer salary in Vermont?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.1 for Vermont), the real-wage equivalent is $65,564 — what the $63,690 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $60,962 to $78,967.
How many Police Officers does Vermont employ?: BLS OES counts 1,080 Police Officers employed in Vermont 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 Vermont rank for Police Officer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Vermont 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.
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 Vermont?: 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. Vermont 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 Vermont runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.
Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for Vermont 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. Vermont 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 Vermont 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.