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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, 2015

Region/geographic division Total
(10,075
cities;
population
187,551,939) 		Group I
(76 cities,
250,000 and
over;
population
56,116,904)		 Group II
(195 cities,
100,000 to
249,999;
population
28,956,838)		 Group III
(419 cities,
50,000 to
99,999;
population
29,206,031)		 Group IV
(764 cities,
25,000 to
49,999;
population
26,443,466)		 Group V
(1,612 cities,
10,000 to
24,999;
population
25,662,681)		 Group VI
(7,009 cities,
under 10,000;
population
21,166,019)		 Total
city
agencies		 2015
estimated
city
population		 County1
(3,085
agencies;
population
85,548,031)		 Total city
and county
agencies		 2015
estimated
total agency
population		 Suburban Areas2
(7,034 agencies;
population
116,427,469)
TOTAL Number of officers 402,978 139,335 48,159 46,318 44,803 47,085 77,278 10,075 187,551,939 232,803 13,160 273,099,970 283,285
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 2.5 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.8 3.7 2.7 2.4
NORTHEAST Number of officers 117,556 47,390 6,956 12,747 15,369 16,048 19,046 2,676 45,371,564
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 4.0 2.5 1.9 1.8 1.8 2.9
NEW ENGLAND Number of officers 28,274 2,139 3,787 5,333 5,849 5,871 5,295 832 13,220,257
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 3.2 2.5 2.0 1.8 1.8 2.8
MIDDLE ATLANTIC Number of officers 89,282 45,251 3,169 7,414 9,520 10,177 13,751 1,844 32,151,307
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.8 4.0 2.5 1.9 1.8 1.7 2.9
MIDWEST Number of officers 68,546 14,420 6,714 9,916 9,964 11,494 16,038 2,611 36,148,697
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.9 2.3 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.7 2.8
EAST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 42,634 8,654 4,084 6,457 7,528 7,211 8,700 1,448 22,615,127
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.9 2.5 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.6 2.7
WEST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 25,912 5,766 2,630 3,459 2,436 4,283 7,338 1,163 13,533,570
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.9 2.2 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.7 3.0
SOUTH Number of officers 136,482 42,000 20,339 13,106 13,309 14,780 32,948 3,452 54,978,984
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.5 2.3 2.0 1.9 2.1 2.3 5.0
SOUTH ATLANTIC Number of officers 65,624 18,026 10,040 7,228 6,407 7,082 16,841 1,544 23,116,445
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.8 2.9 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.5 6.2
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 23,496 5,701 3,073 1,859 2,975 3,138 6,750 757 8,809,884
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 2.2 2.5 2.1 2.1 2.4 4.6
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 47,362 18,273 7,226 4,019 3,927 4,560 9,357 1,151 23,052,655
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.0 3.9
WEST Number of officers 80,394 35,525 14,150 10,549 6,161 4,763 9,246 1,336 51,052,694
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.6 1.8 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 4.2
MOUNTAIN Number of officers 28,564 11,228 4,984 3,295 2,468 1,733 4,856 602 16,040,517
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.8 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.7 4.4
PACIFIC Number of officers 51,830 24,297 9,166 7,254 3,693 3,030 4,390 734 35,012,177
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.5 1.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 4.1
  • 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, 2015 

  • In 2015, the average number of full-time law enforcement officers in the nation’s cities was 2.1 per 1,000 residents. 

  • Law enforcement agencies in cities in the Northeast had a rate of 2.6 full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 inhabitants. 

  • In cities in the South, the rate of full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents was 2.5. 

  • The rate of full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 inhabitants was 1.9 in cities in the Midwest. 

  • Law enforcement agencies in cities in the West had a rate of 1.6 full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 inhabitants.