Compared with the local labor market
Police Officer pay vs. Arkansas
Across all employers in Arkansas, the median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — about 5,710 people — is $47,670. Department of the Military pays a median base salary of $46,223 for this role, 3% below that figure — about the 45th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Department of the Military sits in the local pay range
$35,210
$40,100
$47,670
$56,720
$70,190
Department of the Military median · $46,223
The bar is the range of annual wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers across every employer in Arkansas, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of the Military’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. Department of the Military’s median base salary is 39% below that national figure, below the 10th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$47,510
$59,290
$76,210
$97,600
$115,120
Department of the Military median · $46,223
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 Arkansas range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Department of the Military is $46,223, 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 Arkansas
This role is reported in 31 jurisdictions. In Arkansas, the median of $46,223 ranks #29 of 31. See Police Officer across all of Arkansas →
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.