Georgia / Columbus State University / Police Officer

Job-title file

Police Officer

Enforce laws and maintain public safety — patrol, respond to incidents, investigate crimes, and make arrests.

10 employees hold this title in Columbus State University. Median total compensation for the role is $42,180, above the department median of $9,385.

Employees: 10
Total payroll: $404.9K
Role median: $42,180
Agency median: $9,385
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$6,426$72,819+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 10 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Police Officer pay vs. Georgia

Across all employers in Georgia, the median wage for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers — about 22,170 people — is $58,120. Columbus State University pays a median base salary of $60,529 for this role, 4% above that figure — about the 62nd percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Columbus State University sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$43,690

$48,290

$58,120

$63,270

$76,250

Columbus State University median · $60,529

The bar is the range of annual wages for Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers across every employer in Georgia, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Columbus State University’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. Columbus State University’s median base salary is 21% below that national figure, about the 27th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$47,510

$59,290

$76,210

$97,600

$115,120

Columbus State University median · $60,529

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 Georgia range relative to the national one.

Computed over the 6 of 10 people in this role paid at least $25,000 in 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 Columbus State University is $42,180, 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 Georgia

Police Officer is held in 26 Georgia departments. In Columbus State University, the median of $42,180 ranks #17 of 26.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Georgia Institute of Technology

$73,026 · 39

University of Georgia

$66,242 · 52

Valdosta State University

$62,839 · 14

Augusta University

$62,653 · 24

Georgia State University

$59,300 · 72

Middle Georgia State University

$57,576 · 13

Kennesaw State University

$57,565 · 24

East Georgia State College

$57,557 · 1

University of West Georgia

$55,176 · 16

University of North Georgia

$53,381 · 21

Georgia Southern University

$53,321 · 24

Georgia Southwestern State University

$53,167 · 5

Median total compensation for the Police Officer role in other Georgiadepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Police Officer beyond Georgia

This role is reported in 31 jurisdictions. In Georgia, the median of $53,167 ranks #28 of 31. See Police Officer across all of Georgia →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

City of San Jose

$286,889 · 818

City and County of San Francisco

$253,890 · 1,860

City of Boston

$185,462 · 1,335

City of Los Angeles

$184,354 · 6,158

City of Worcester

$128,256 · 371

City of Phoenix, Arizona

$116,326 · 2,460

Illinois

$114,200 · 7

New York Public Authorities

$113,716 · 558

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.

Same department

Other job titles in Columbus State University

Record list