Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Philadelphia, PA
Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Philadelphia, PA: $85,390/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $58,300 – $117,040 · about 13,190 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($69,845) by +$15,545 (+22%).
What it's really worth in Philadelphia
With Philadelphia's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $85,390 has the buying power of about $83,419 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $85,555 · median home $390,463 · median rent $1,914/mo.
How Philadelphia ranks for this job
On raw pay, Philadelphia, PA is 43rd of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Philadelphia's cost of living is applied, it ranks 63rd.
The headline number flatters Philadelphia. 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 Philadelphia
A median home in Philadelphia, PA costs $390,463 — about 4.6× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,914/mo works out at 27% 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 Philadelphia.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Philadelphia | Rent vs Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $145,340 | +70% | 1.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $134,860 | +58% | 1.7× |
| Vallejo, CA | $125,130 | +47% | 1.3× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $118,140 | +38% | 1.7× |
Same job elsewhere in PA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Philadelphia | Rent vs Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie, PA | $90,510 | +6% | 0.6× |
| Harrisburg, PA | $88,760 | +4% | 0.8× |
| Lancaster, PA | $88,140 | +3% | 0.8× |
| Allentown, PA | $85,840 | +1% | 1× |
Staying in PA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Philadelphia
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.