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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, 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
County1
(3,070
agencies;
population
88,792,091)
Total city
and county
agencies
2017
estimated
total agency
population
Suburban Areas2
(7,001 agencies;
population
120,076,115)
TOTAL Number of officers 422,869 155,692 47,814 47,850 45,672 47,866 77,975 10,058 193,187,549 247,410 13,128 281,979,640 298,444
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 2.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.9 3.8 2.8 2.5
NORTHEAST Number of officers 119,962 48,868 7,188 13,201 15,436 15,893 19,376 2,614 45,196,822
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 4.1 2.5 2.0 1.8 1.8 3.0
NEW ENGLAND Number of officers 28,038 2,205 3,831 5,409 5,985 5,628 4,980 781 12,920,841
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 3.2 2.6 2.0 1.8 1.8 2.9
MIDDLE ATLANTIC Number of officers 91,924 46,663 3,357 7,792 9,451 10,265 14,396 1,833 32,275,981
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.8 4.1 2.4 2.0 1.8 1.8 3.1
MIDWEST Number of officers 82,591 28,201 6,130 10,896 10,069 11,343 15,952 2,616 39,587,170
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 3.0 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.7 2.8
EAST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 55,403 22,440 3,127 7,232 7,554 6,862 8,188 1,382 25,468,923
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 3.3 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.7 2.6
WEST NORTH CENTRAL Number of officers 27,188 5,761 3,003 3,664 2,515 4,481 7,764 1,234 14,118,247
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 136,418 41,899 19,615 12,939 13,720 15,426 32,819 3,427 55,419,668
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 69,076 17,795 11,099 7,477 7,407 7,857 17,441 1,606 25,229,607
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 2.7 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.4 6.2
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 21,736 5,121 1,657 1,986 3,060 3,005 6,907 738 8,207,314
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.4 4.7
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of officers 45,606 18,983 6,859 3,476 3,253 4,564 8,471 1,083 21,982,747
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.8 2.0 4.2
WEST Number of officers 83,898 36,724 14,881 10,814 6,447 5,204 9,828 1,401 52,983,889
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.6 1.8 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.5 4.3
MOUNTAIN Number of officers 30,266 11,612 5,493 3,300 2,618 2,077 5,166 640 16,919,843
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.8 1.8 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.8 4.5
PACIFIC Number of officers 53,632 25,112 9,388 7,514 3,829 3,127 4,662 761 36,064,046
Average number of officers per 1,000 inhabitants 1.5 1.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 4.2
  • 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, 2017

  • In 2017, 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 2.7 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.