With National Police Week starting on May 10 and the median annual salary for a police officer reaching over $77,000, the personal-finance company WalletHub on May 4 released its report on the Best & Worst States to Be a Police Officer in 2026, to help identify where this hazardous but rewarding career is the most worthwhile.

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 30 key metrics. The data set ranges from the median income for law-enforcement officers to police deaths per 1,000 officers to state and local spending on police.

Compensation and working conditions, however, vary widely by location. Officers are more likely to be drawn to departments that maintain transparency with their communities and avoid issues related to scandal or corruption.

California was ranked as the best overall for police officers, with Alaska coming in at the bottom of the list.

Life & Work for Cops in California (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

Overall Rank: 1st

6th – Median Income for Law-Enforcement Officers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)

26th – Percentage of Homicide Cases Solved

1st – State & Local Police-Protection Expenses per Capita

8th – Police Deaths per 1,000 Officers

29th – Motor Vehicle Fatalities Per Capita

Note: “Law-enforcement officers” includes police and sheriff’s patrol officers, detectives and criminal investigators.

After California at number one, the rest of the top 10 were: Connecticut at number two, followed by Illinois, Maryland, District of Columbia, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, Tennessee, and Ohio at number 10.

Ranked at the bottom were Mississippi at number 42, followed by Vermont, Oregon, West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska in last place.

“Some states make protecting and serving the public in a law enforcement career more appealing than others. The best states for police officers offer competitive compensation, supplemented by solid training that helps minimize the chances of deadly violence between officers and civilians. State-level policies like ‘red flag laws’ or ‘Blue Alerts’ also contribute to a better environment for police,” explained WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo. “California is the best state to be a police officer, and it has one of the highest per-capita spending on state and local police and public safety. The average monthly starting salary of a police officer in California is a little over $5,600, the fifth-highest wage in the country. To top things off, California requires officers to take de-escalation training, which reduces the chances of fatalities for both officers and suspects, and it has ‘Blue Alerts’ which can help hasten the apprehension of suspects who injure or kill police officers.”

For the full report, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-be-a-cop/34669