Compared with the local labor market
Police Officer pay vs. the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area
Across all employers in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area, the median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — about 2,270 people — is $63,220. Louisville Metro Police Department pays a median base salary of $38,957 for this role, 38% below that figure — below the 10th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Louisville Metro Police Department sits in the local pay range
$46,980
$57,630
$63,220
$73,230
$77,970
Louisville Metro Police Department median · $38,957
The bar is the range of annual wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers across every employer in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Louisville Metro Police Department’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. Louisville Metro Police Department’s median base salary is 49% below that national figure, below the 10th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$47,510
$59,290
$76,210
$97,600
$115,120
Louisville Metro Police Department median · $38,957
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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN range relative to the national one.
Computed over the 921 of 1,106 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.
Median total compensation for this role at Louisville Metro Police Department is $48,461, 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 departments
This role across Louisville Metro, Kentucky
Police Officer is held in 2 Louisville Metro, Kentucky departments. In Louisville Metro Police Department, the median of $48,461 ranks #2 of 2.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the Police Officer role in other Louisville Metro, Kentuckydepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
Police Officer beyond Louisville Metro, Kentucky
This role is reported in 31 jurisdictions. In Louisville Metro, Kentucky, the median of $56,095 ranks #27 of 31. See Police Officer across all of Louisville Metro, Kentucky →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Police Officerroles 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.