Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Richmond, VA

Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Richmond, VA: $63,510/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $51,780 – $84,990 · about 3,010 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($69,845) by −$6,335 (-9%).

What it's really worth in Richmond

With Richmond's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $63,510 has the buying power of about $64,584 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $80,877 · median home $397,705 · median rent $1,763/mo.

Full Richmond cost of living & taxes →

How Richmond ranks for this job

On raw pay, Richmond, VA is 120th of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Richmond's cost of living is applied, it ranks 123rd.

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

What that salary buys in Richmond

A median home in Richmond, VA costs $397,705 — about 6.3× 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 $1,763/mo works out at 33% 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 Richmond.

Metro	Median pay	vs Richmond	Rent vs Richmond
San Jose, CA	$145,340	+129%	2.1×
San Francisco, CA	$134,860	+112%	1.8×
Vallejo, CA	$125,130	+97%	1.4×
Santa Maria, CA	$118,140	+86%	1.9×

Same job elsewhere in VA

Metro	Median pay	vs Richmond	Rent vs Richmond
Virginia Beach, VA	$62,310	−2%	1.1×
Roanoke, VA	$52,540	−17%	0.8×
Lynchburg, VA	$51,670	−19%	0.7×

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

Other jobs in Richmond