Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Baltimore, MD
Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Baltimore, MD: $75,330/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $54,340 – $101,100 · about 4,540 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($69,845) by +$5,485 (+8%).
What it's really worth in Baltimore
With Baltimore's cost of living at 103 (US=100), that $75,330 has the buying power of about $73,006 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $94,167 · median home $405,877 · median rent $1,919/mo.
How Baltimore ranks for this job
On raw pay, Baltimore, MD is 82nd of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Baltimore's cost of living is applied, it ranks 102nd.
The headline number flatters Baltimore. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, police & sheriff's patrol officers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Baltimore
A median home in Baltimore, MD costs $405,877 — about 5.4× 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 $1,919/mo works out at 31% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
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 Baltimore.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Baltimore | Rent vs Baltimore |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $145,340 | +93% | 1.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $134,860 | +79% | 1.7× |
| Vallejo, CA | $125,130 | +66% | 1.3× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $118,140 | +57% | 1.7× |
Same job elsewhere in MD
| Metro | Median pay | vs Baltimore | Rent vs Baltimore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury, MD | $68,400 | −9% | 1× |
| Hagerstown, MD | $60,720 | −19% | 0.8× |
Staying in MD keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Baltimore
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.