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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, 2013

Region/geographic division Total
(9,894
cities;
population
179,802,240)
Group I
(73 cities,
250,000 and
over;
population
51,744,651)
Group II
(193 cities,
100,000 to
249,999;
population
28,587,514)
Group III
(405 cities,
50,000 to
99,999;
population
27,923,876)
Group IV
(719 cities,
25,000 to
49,999;
population
24,881,626)
Group V
(1,597 cities,
10,000 to
24,999;
population
25,483,611)
Group VI
(6,907 cities,
under 10,000;
population
21,180,962)
Total
city
agencies
2013
estimated
city
population
County2
(3,157
agencies;
population
88,882,540)
Total city
and county
agencies
2013
estimated
total agency
population
Suburban Areas3
(6,969 agencies;
population
117,915,697)
TOTAL Number of officers 389,934 133,309 48,284 44,972 42,624 47,120 73,625 9,894 179,802,240 237,008 13,051 268,684,780 287,855
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 2.6 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.8 3.5 2.7 2.4
NORTHEAST Number of officers 111,953 46,840 7,165 12,023 14,343 15,317 16,265 2,511 43,905,307
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.5 4.0 2.5 1.9 1.8 1.7 2.5
NEW ENGLAND Number of officers 28,083 2,131 3,808 5,208 5,722 5,818 5,396 796 13,004,141
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 3.3 2.6 1.9 1.8 1.8 3.0
MIDDLE ATLANTIC Number of officers 83,870 44,709 3,357 6,815 8,621 9,499 10,869 1,715 30,901,166
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 4.0 2.5 1.9 1.8 1.7 2.4
MIDWEST Number of officers 65,308 16,190 6,756 8,888 8,287 10,706 14,481 2,418 33,568,819
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.9 2.5 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.7 2.7
EAST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 39,878 11,017 3,749 5,587 5,755 6,315 7,455 1,247 20,345,551
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.0 2.6 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.7 2.6
WEST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 25,430 5,173 3,007 3,301 2,532 4,391 7,026 1,171 13,223,268
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.9 2.4 1.7 1.4 1.5 1.7 2.7
SOUTH Number of officers 135,928 36,010 20,666 14,103 14,065 16,308 34,776 3,683 53,170,268
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 2.5 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.3 4.9
SOUTH ATLANTIC Number of officers 68,956 17,098 11,439 7,514 7,184 8,023 17,698 1,644 23,704,335
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.9 3.1 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.5 6.0
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 24,843 5,965 3,486 1,971 2,884 3,379 7,158 824 9,149,063
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 2.4 2.5 2.2 2.1 2.4 4.5
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 42,129 12,947 5,741 4,618 3,997 4,906 9,920 1,215 20,316,870
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 2.0 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 3.9
WEST Number of officers 76,745 34,269 13,697 9,958 5,929 4,789 8,103 1,282 49,157,846
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.6 1.8 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.5 3.5
MOUNTAIN Number of officers 24,845 10,128 4,794 2,590 2,172 1,642 3,519 519 14,532,260
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.7 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.8 3.2
PACIFIC Number of officers 51,900 24,141 8,903 7,368 3,757 3,147 4,584 763 34,625,586
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.5 1.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 3.7
  • 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, 2013

  • In the nation’s cities in 2013, the average number of full-time law enforcement officers was 2.2 per 1,000 residents.
  • Law enforcement agencies in in the South had a rate of 2.6 full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 inhabitants.
  • In the Northeast, the rate of full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents was 2.5.
  • In cities in the Midwest, the rate of full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents was 1.9.
  • The rate of full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 inhabitants was 1.6 in cities in the West.