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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, 2019

Region/geographic division Total
(10,247
cities;
population
196,900,226)
Group I
(85 cities,
250,000 and
over;
population
62,520,440)
Group II
(207 cities,
100,000 to
249,999;
population
30,396,345)
Group III
(427 cities,
50,000 to
99,999;
population
29,799,314)
Group IV
(788 cities,
25,000 to
49,999;
population
27,147,744)
Group V
(1,644 cities,
10,000 to
24,999;
population
26,146,921)
Group VI
(7,096 cities,
under 10,000;
population
20,889,462)
Total
city
agencies
2019
estimated
city
population
County2
(3,000
agencies;
population
91,457,371)
Total city
and county
agencies
2019
estimated
total agency
population
Suburban Areas3
(7,079 agencies;
population
123,692,820)
TOTAL Number of employees 569,819 209,882 64,904 61,893 57,795 61,106 114,239 10,247 196,900,226 433,451 13,247 288,357,597 468,532
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.9 3.4 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.3 5.5 4.7 3.8
NORTHEAST Number of employees 158,999 67,819 8,052 15,640 18,733 18,713 30,042 2,526 44,387,838
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.6 5.8 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.2 4.8
NEW ENGLAND Number of employees 33,586 2,922 4,020 6,216 7,322 7,054 6,052 781 12,741,851
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 4.2 2.9 2.3 2.3 2.3 3.5
MIDDLE ATLANTIC Number of employees 125,413 64,897 4,032 9,424 11,411 11,659 23,990 1,745 31,645,987
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 4.0 5.9 2.9 2.5 2.2 2.1 5.3
MIDWEST Number of employees 103,578 34,720 8,237 12,874 12,126 14,394 21,227 2,679 39,233,426
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 3.8 2.0 1.8 1.9 2.1 3.7
EAST NORTH CENTRAL Number of employees 68,219 27,075 4,453 8,186 8,705 8,711 11,089 1,446 24,836,151
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.7 4.3 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.0 3.5
WEST NORTH CENTRAL Number of employees 35,359 7,645 3,784 4,688 3,421 5,683 10,138 1,233 14,397,275
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.5 2.8 2.0 1.7 1.9 2.1 3.9
SOUTH Number of employees 190,329 55,052 28,746 18,297 18,389 21,229 48,616 3,659 59,614,470
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.2 2.8 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.9 7.3
SOUTH ATLANTIC Number of employees 88,165 22,582 13,187 10,967 9,166 9,598 22,665 1,582 25,223,887
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.5 3.4 2.6 2.6 2.7 3.1 8.2
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of employees 33,367 6,548 4,931 2,110 4,167 4,335 11,276 852 9,391,674
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.6 2.8 3.0 2.6 2.7 3.0 6.9
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of employees 68,797 25,922 10,628 5,220 5,056 7,296 14,675 1,225 24,998,909
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.8 2.4 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.7 6.4
WEST Number of employees 116,913 52,291 19,869 15,082 8,547 6,770 14,354 1,383 53,664,492
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.2 2.4 1.7 1.7 1.7 2.0 6.5
MOUNTAIN Number of employees 41,859 18,575 5,762 4,594 3,171 2,391 7,366 612 17,181,579
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.4 2.4 2.0 1.9 1.7 2.2 6.6
PACIFIC Number of employees 75,054 33,716 14,107 10,488 5,376 4,379 6,988 771 36,482,913
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 2.4 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.9 6.3
  • 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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pulation Group, Number, and Rate per 1,000 Inhabitants, 2019

  • In 2019, law enforcement agencies in U.S. cities reported an average of 2.9 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 3.6 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 2.6.
  • Law enforcement agencies in cities in the West had a rate of 2.2 full-time law enforcement employees per 1,000 inhabitants.