Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Austin, TX

Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Austin, TX: $84,210/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $60,580 – $104,890 · about 4,130 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($69,845) by +$14,365 (+21%).

What it's really worth in Austin

With Austin's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $84,210 has the buying power of about $85,687 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $92,939 · median home $428,524 · median rent $1,635/mo.

Full Austin cost of living & taxes →

How Austin ranks for this job

On raw pay, Austin, TX is 48th of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Austin's cost of living is applied, it ranks 48th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Austin sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Austin

A median home in Austin, TX costs $428,524 — about 5.1× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,635/mo works out at 23% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where police & sheriff's patrol officers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Austin.

Metro	Median pay	vs Austin	Rent vs Austin
San Jose, CA	$145,340	+73%	2.2×
San Francisco, CA	$134,860	+60%	2×
Vallejo, CA	$125,130	+49%	1.5×
Santa Maria, CA	$118,140	+40%	2×

Same job elsewhere in TX

Metro	Median pay	vs Austin	Rent vs Austin
Dallas, TX	$84,280	+0%	1×
Laredo, TX	$81,910	−3%	0.8×
Amarillo, TX	$77,980	−7%	0.8×
Beaumont, TX	$76,760	−9%	0.8×

Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires police & sheriff's patrol officers around Austin

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• State of Texas · Government

Other jobs in Austin