Quick answer: Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers in the Boston area earn a median $78,180 per year, above the national median of $76,210, and the metro employs about 11,440 of them (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Boston metro | Massachusetts | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $78,180 | $78,940 | $76,210 |
| 10th percentile | $61,750 | $61,160 | $47,510 |
| 25th percentile | $72,270 | $71,970 | $59,290 |
| 75th percentile | $98,820 | $97,390 | $97,600 |
| 90th percentile | $107,240 | $108,150 | $115,120 |
| Employment | 11,440 | 17,040 | 670,520 |
| Location quotient | 0.98 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan statistical area.
The Boston median of $78,180 is above the national median of $76,210, and below the Massachusetts statewide median of $78,940 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.98 means police and sheriff’s patrol officers are less 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester | $80,210 | 2,000 |
| Springfield | $83,050 | 1,570 |
| Barnstable Town | $80,210 | 530 |
| Amherst Town | $73,480 | 430 |
| Pittsfield | $76,940 | 280 |
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 Massachusetts 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 12 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area is $78,180, above the national median of $76,210 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area employs about 11,440 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 Boston metro median is $78,180 against a statewide median of $78,940 (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/.
