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Table 70

Full-time Law Enforcement Employees1

by Region and Geographic Division by Population Group

Number and Rate per 1,000 Inhabitants, 2017

Region/geographic division Total
(10,058
cities;
population
193,187,549)
Group I
(79 cities,
250,000 and
over;
population
60,607,956)
Group II
(198 cities,
100,000 to
249,999;
population
29,257,403)
Group III
(431 cities,
50,000 to
99,999;
population
30,031,331)
Group IV
(775 cities,
25,000 to
49,999;
population
26,916,000)
Group V
(1,609 cities,
10,000 to
24,999;
population
25,660,537)
Group VI
(6,966 cities,
under 10,000;
population
20,714,322)
Total
city
agencies
2017
estimated
city
population
County2
(3,070
agencies;
population
88,792,091)
Total city
and county
agencies
2017
estimated
total agency
population
Suburban Areas3
(7,001 agencies;
population
120,076,115)
TOTAL Number of employees 542,639 203,398 62,162 61,566 56,881 58,891 99,741 10,058 193,187,549 414,302 13,128 281,979,640 450,252
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.8 3.4 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.3 4.8 4.7 3.7
NORTHEAST Number of employees 151,357 66,618 8,462 15,835 18,335 18,655 23,452 2,614 45,196,822
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.3 5.6 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.1 3.7
NEW ENGLAND Number of employees 34,175 2,778 4,459 6,412 7,203 6,957 6,366 781 12,920,841
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 4.1 3.0 2.3 2.2 2.3 3.8
MIDDLE ATLANTIC Number of employees 117,182 63,840 4,003 9,423 11,132 11,698 17,086 1,833 32,275,981
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.6 5.6 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.0 3.6
MIDWEST Number of employees 99,302 33,337 7,364 13,442 12,417 13,756 18,986 2,616 39,587,170
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.5 3.5 2.0 1.8 1.9 2.0 3.3
EAST NORTH CENTRAL Number of employees 65,367 25,790 3,636 8,873 9,251 8,228 9,589 1,382 25,468,923
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 3.8 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.0 3.1
WEST NORTH CENTRAL Number of employees 33,935 7,547 3,728 4,569 3,166 5,528 9,397 1,234 14,118,247
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.4 2.9 2.0 1.7 1.9 2.1 3.6
SOUTH Number of employees 176,083 53,827 25,431 16,884 17,314 19,607 43,020 3,427 55,419,668
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.2 2.9 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.9 6.8
SOUTH ATLANTIC Number of employees 89,454 23,853 14,310 9,661 9,288 9,854 22,488 1,606 25,229,607
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.5 3.7 2.6 2.5 2.7 3.1 8.0
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of employees 27,430 6,317 2,011 2,482 3,816 3,754 9,050 738 8,207,314
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.3 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.6 3.0 6.1
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of employees 59,199 23,657 9,110 4,741 4,210 5,999 11,482 1,083 21,982,747
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.7 5.6
WEST Number of employees 115,897 49,616 20,905 15,405 8,815 6,873 14,283 1,401 52,983,889
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 2.4 1.7 1.6 1.7 2.0 6.3
MOUNTAIN Number of employees 42,195 16,388 7,490 4,671 3,460 2,690 7,496 640 16,919,843
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.5 2.6 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.3 6.5
PACIFIC Number of employees 73,702 33,228 13,415 10,734 5,355 4,183 6,787 761 36,064,046
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.0 2.3 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.9 6.1
  • 1 Full-time law enforcement employees include civilians.
  • 2 The designation county is a combination of both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties.
  • 3 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 Employees, by Region and Geographic Division by Population Group, Number and Rate per 1,000 Inhabitants, 2017

  • In 2017, law enforcement agencies in U.S. cities reported an average of 2.8 full-time law enforcement employees (including both sworn officers and civilians) per 1,000 inhabitants.
  • Law enforcement agencies in cities in the Northeast had a rate of 3.3 full-time law enforcement employees per 1,000 inhabitants.
  • The rate of full-time law enforcement employees per 1,000 inhabitants was 3.2 in cities in the South.
  • In cities in the Midwest, the rate of full-time law enforcement employees per 1,000 residents was 2.5.
  • Law enforcement agencies in cities in the West had a rate of 2.2 full-time law enforcement employees per 1,000 inhabitants.