Quick answer: Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in the Palm Bay area earn a median $60,520 per year, below the national median of $76,210, and the metro employs about 1,240 of them (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Palm Bay metro | Florida | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $60,520 | $74,470 | $76,210 |
| 10th percentile | $49,070 | $51,330 | $47,510 |
| 25th percentile | $56,160 | $60,520 | $59,290 |
| 75th percentile | $72,530 | $93,460 | $97,600 |
| 90th percentile | $76,720 | $98,190 | $115,120 |
| Employment | 1,240 | 43,630 | 670,520 |
| Location quotient | 1.18 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL metropolitan statistical area.
The Palm Bay median of $60,520 is below the national median of $76,210, and below the Florida statewide median of $74,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.18 means police and sheriff’s patrol officers are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Policing is hired agency by agency, so the relevant market is the metro area and the departments inside it.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Miami | $79,840 | 14,710 |
| Orlando | $63,010 | 5,400 |
| Tampa | $75,710 | 5,190 |
| Jacksonville | $78,810 | 2,800 |
| Cape Coral | $76,710 | 1,580 |
| North Port | $75,820 | 1,500 |
| Lakeland | $66,700 | 1,300 |
| Deltona | $53,510 | 1,220 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Sworn officers are certified by a state Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commission, and hiring itself is done by individual agencies. The academic degree is separate from that certification: a criminal justice degree is rarely the minimum to be hired, and matters more for promotion and for federal, probation, and investigative roles.
See the Florida licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state POST commission and the hiring agency.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 10 schools within 117 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 9 of them carry a score. 1 does not have enough federal outcome data to score, and appears last rather than being hidden.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
The median annual wage for police and sheriff's patrol officers in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL metro area is $60,520, below the national median of $76,210 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL metro area employs about 1,240 police and sheriff's patrol officers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Sworn officers are certified by a state Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commission, and hiring itself is done by individual agencies. The academic degree is separate from that certification: a criminal justice degree is rarely the minimum to be hired, and matters more for promotion and for federal, probation, and investigative roles. Confirm current requirements with your state POST commission and the hiring agency.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state POST commission and the hiring agency.
The Palm Bay metro median is $60,520 against a statewide median of $74,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
