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Table 24

Full-time Law Enforcement Officers

by Region and Geographic Division by Population Group

Number and Rate per 1,000 Inhabitants, 2016

Region/geographic division Total
(10,126
cities;
population
192,569,624) 		Group I
(79 cities,
250,000 and
over;
population
59,221,977)		 Group II
(200 cities,
100,000 to
249,999;
population
29,632,582)		 Group III
(433 cities,
50,000 to
99,999;
population
30,220,472)		 Group IV
(773 cities,
25,000 to
49,999;
population
26,885,069)		 Group V
(1,597 cities,
10,000 to
24,999;
population
25,434,997)		 Group VI
(7,044 cities,
under 10,000;
population
21,174,527)		 Total
city
agencies		 2016
estimated
city
population		 County1
(3,091
agencies;
population
85,069,134)		 Total city
and county
agencies		 2016
estimated
total agency
population		 Suburban Areas2
(7,050 agencies;
population
116,271,221)
TOTAL Number of officers 421,459 152,607 48,534 48,450 45,582 47,148 79,138 10,126 192,569,624 231,477 13,217 277,638,758 286,120
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 2.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.9 3.7 2.7 2.5
NORTHEAST Number of officers 118,398 48,245 7,103 12,744 15,469 15,777 19,060 2,628 45,116,740
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 28,015 2,125 3,791 5,373 5,924 5,607 5,195 795 12,871,266
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 3.2 2.5 2.0 1.9 1.8 3.0
MIDDLE ATLANTIC Number of officers 90,383 46,120 3,312 7,371 9,545 10,170 13,865 1,833 32,245,474
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.8 4.1 2.4 1.9 1.8 1.7 2.9
MIDWEST Number of officers 78,550 27,129 6,115 9,505 9,583 10,766 15,452 2,537 37,123,846
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 3.1 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.7 2.8
EAST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 51,479 21,368 3,156 5,810 7,007 6,492 7,646 1,309 23,081,262
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 3.5 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.7 2.6
WEST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 27,071 5,761 2,959 3,695 2,576 4,274 7,806 1,228 14,042,584
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.9 2.2 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.7 3.0
SOUTH Number of officers 141,967 40,913 20,912 15,357 14,000 15,740 35,045 3,587 57,655,948
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.5 2.3 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.3 5.2
SOUTH ATLANTIC Number of officers 69,077 17,848 10,036 8,421 7,253 7,664 17,855 1,635 24,823,862
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.8 2.8 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.4 6.1
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 19,802 3,376 3,219 2,028 2,482 2,770 5,927 653 7,286,658
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.4 4.9
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 53,088 19,689 7,657 4,908 4,265 5,306 11,263 1,299 25,545,428
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 1.9 1.6 1.7 1.7 2.0 4.2
WEST Number of officers 82,544 36,320 14,404 10,844 6,530 4,865 9,581 1,374 52,673,090
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 29,548 11,466 5,142 3,394 2,748 1,873 4,925 614 16,789,215
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.8 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.7 4.2
PACIFIC Number of officers 52,996 24,854 9,262 7,450 3,782 2,992 4,656 760 35,883,875
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.5 1.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 3.9
  • 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. 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, 2016

  • In 2016, the average number of full-time law enforcement officers in the nation’s cities was 2.2 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 2.1 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.