Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Lakeland, FL

Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Lakeland, FL: $61,340/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $47,280 – $73,740 · about 1,190 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($69,845) by −$8,505 (-12%).

What it's really worth in Lakeland

With Lakeland's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $61,340 has the buying power of about $62,763 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $60,901 · median home $298,816 · median rent $1,849/mo.

Full Lakeland cost of living & taxes →

How Lakeland ranks for this job

On raw pay, Lakeland, FL is 128th of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Lakeland's cost of living is applied, it ranks 130th.

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

What that salary buys in Lakeland

A median home in Lakeland, FL costs $298,816 — about 4.9× 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 $1,849/mo works out at 36% 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 Lakeland.

Metro	Median pay	vs Lakeland	Rent vs Lakeland
San Jose, CA	$145,340	+137%	2×
San Francisco, CA	$134,860	+120%	1.8×
Vallejo, CA	$125,130	+104%	1.3×
Santa Maria, CA	$118,140	+93%	1.8×

Same job elsewhere in FL

Metro	Median pay	vs Lakeland	Rent vs Lakeland
Miami, FL	$89,570	+46%	1.5×
Tampa, FL	$68,750	+12%	1.1×
Cape Coral, FL	$65,730	+7%	1×
Orlando, FL	$65,160	+6%	1.1×

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

Other jobs in Lakeland