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Table 71

Full-time Law Enforcement Officers

by Region and Geographic Division by Population Group

Number and Rate per 1,000 Inhabitants, 2011

Region/geographic division Total
(11,234 cities; population 197,246,457) 		Group I
(75 cities, 250,000 and over; population 56,398,148)		 Group II
(196 cities,
100,000 to
249,999;
population
29,447,050)		 Group III
(428 cities,
50,000 to
99,999;
population
29,634,590)		 Group IV
(828 cities,
25,000 to
49,999;
population
28,652,012)		 Group V
(1,834 cities,
10,000 to
24,999;
population
29,005,261)		 Group VI
(7,873 cities,
under 10,000;
population
24,109,396)		 Total
city agencies		 2011
estimated
city
population		 County2
(3,399
agencies;
population
95,812,483)		 Total city
and county
agencies		 2011
estimated
total agency
population		 Suburban Areas3
(7,630 agencies;
population
125,240,573)
TOTAL Number of officers 442,931 153,550 51,553 49,229 49,876 54,462 84,261 11,234 197,246,457 255,529 14,633 293,058,940 306,562
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 2.7 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.9 3.5 2.7 2.4
NORTHEAST Number of officers 116,256 46,034 7,858 12,872 15,008 16,328 18,156 2,592 44,795,747
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 4.1 2.6 1.9 1.8 1.8 2.8
NEW ENGLAND Number of officers 28,101 2,156 3,833 5,107 5,485 6,056 5,464 803 12,963,908
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 3.5 2.6 1.9 1.8 1.8 3.0
MIDDLE ATLANTIC Number of officers 88,155 43,878 4,025 7,765 9,523 10,272 12,692 1,789 31,831,839
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.8 4.1 2.7 2.0 1.9 1.7 2.7
MIDWEST Number of officers 94,837 29,440 7,194 10,280 12,914 15,013 19,996 3,272 44,800,021
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 3.1 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.7 2.7
EAST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 68,777 23,491 4,599 7,230 10,097 10,635 12,725 2,060 31,447,185
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 3.4 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.7 2.7
WEST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 26,060 5,949 2,595 3,050 2,817 4,378 7,271 1,212 13,352,836
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.0 2.4 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.7 2.8
SOUTH Number of officers 150,062 42,222 22,616 15,510 14,943 17,949 36,822 3,960 57,830,484
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 2.5 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.3 4.8
SOUTH ATLANTIC Number of officers 70,637 16,280 11,797 8,679 7,143 8,510 18,228 1,700 23,920,448
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 3.0 3.2 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.6 5.9
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 25,743 6,085 3,485 1,602 3,252 4,000 7,319 902 9,433,738
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.2 2.5 4.1
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 53,682 19,857 7,334 5,229 4,548 5,439 11,275 1,358 24,476,298
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 2.2 1.8 1.7 1.8 2.0 4.0
WEST Number of officers 81,776 35,854 13,885 10,567 7,011 5,172 9,287 1,410 49,820,205
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.6 1.9 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.6 3.8
MOUNTAIN Number of officers 28,963 11,465 4,779 3,192 2,925 1,930 4,672 631 15,834,272
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.8 1.9 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.8 3.7
PACIFIC Number of officers 52,813 24,389 9,106 7,375 4,086 3,242 4,615 779 33,985,933
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.6 1.9 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.4 3.8
  • 1 The designation county is a combination of both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties.
  • 2 Suburban areas include law enforcement agencies in cities with less than 50,000 inhabitants and county law enforcement agencies that are within a Metropolitan Statistical Area (see Data Declaration). Suburban areas exclude all metropolitan agencies associated with a principal city. The agencies associated with suburban areas also appear in other groups within this table.

Data Declaration

Provides the methodology used in constructing this table and other pertinent information about this table.

Overview

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Full-time Law Enforcement Officers, by Region and Geographic Division by Population Group, Number and Rate per 1,000 Inhabitants, 2011

  • In the nation’s cities in 2011, the average number of full-time law enforcement officers was 2.2 per 1,000 residents.
  • In cities in the Northeast as well as the South, the rate of full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 inhabitants was 2.6. 
  • In cities in the Midwest, the rate of full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents was 2.1.
  • In cities in the West, the rate of full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 inhabitants was 1.6.