Compared with the local labor market
Police Officer pay vs. the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area
Across all employers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area, the median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — about 5,770 people — is $63,190. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Office of the Chief pays a median base salary of $90,342 for this role, 43% above that figure — about the 86th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Office of the Chief sits in the local pay range
$49,850
$59,300
$63,190
$78,930
$94,430
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Office of the Chief median · $90,342
The bar is the range of annual wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers across every employer in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Office of the Chief’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — about 670,520 people — is $76,210. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Office of the Chief’s median base salary is 19% above that national figure, about the 67th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$47,510
$59,290
$76,210
$97,600
$115,120
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Office of the Chief median · $90,342
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Office of the Chief is $90,342, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Police Officer beyond City of Charlotte
This role is reported in 31 jurisdictions. In City of Charlotte, the median of $87,377 ranks #21 of 31. See Police Officer across all of City of Charlotte →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Police Officer roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.