Quick answer: California employs about 13,200 police and detective supervisors (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing runs through your state peace officer standards and training commission. Programs, the careers this degree opens, and what they pay are below.
Compare police and public safety administration programs enrolling now:
Licensing and Credentials in California
Sworn officers are certified by a state peace-officer standards and training commission, not by a degree, and promotion to sergeant or above is governed by the employing agency’s own process. What a degree does here is satisfy the educational requirement many agencies attach to command ranks and to federal law enforcement hiring. Requirements differ agency by agency as well as state by state.
Requirements are set at state level and are amended periodically. Before you enroll in any program, confirm with your state peace officer standards and training commission that the specific program you are considering satisfies the education requirement, and ask what it accepts from any training you have already completed. Get the answer in writing.
Earning the Degree While You Work
Most people reading this already have a job in the field, and the practical question is whether the credential can be earned without leaving it. Programs designed for working adults deliver the academic portion online or in the evening, while any labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience happen in person and locally. Prior college credit, military training, apprenticeship coursework and industry certifications can all shorten the path, so request a written transfer credit evaluation before you commit to any school.
Schools Near You
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.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 73 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
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.
What First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives Earn in California
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in California earn a median $163,960 per year, above the national median of $106,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Police and Public Safety Administration Pay and Employment in California at a Glance
Metric
California
National
Source
Median annual wage
$163,960
$106,040
BLS OEWS, May 2025
10th percentile
$121,720
$63,350
BLS OEWS, May 2025
25th percentile
$135,170
$81,860
BLS OEWS, May 2025
75th percentile
$190,130
$132,620
BLS OEWS, May 2025
90th percentile
$204,500
$165,110
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Employment
13,200
154,610
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Location quotient
0.73
1.00
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected change (2024-34)
not published by state
2.9%
BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34
How California Pay Compares to the Rest of the Country
The California median of $163,960 sits above the national median of $106,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Percentiles matter more than the midpoint when you are deciding whether a degree pays for itself: the 10th percentile is roughly where people start, and the 90th is what the top of the local market looks like after years of experience.
A location quotient of 0.73 puts California below the national average, so the occupation is less concentrated here than in the typical state. Expect a thinner local job market and fewer employers to move between (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The measure compares how concentrated the occupation is here against the national average of 1.00.
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Command positions exist where the agencies are. Metro population, the number of municipal departments and the presence of state or federal offices all drive demand.
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives Wages by Metro Area in California
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics ( OES data), first-line supervisors of police and detectives wages in California vary by metro area.
Metro Area
Employment
Median Annual Wage
Avg. Annual Wage
Entry Level (10th pctile)
Experienced (90th pctile)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
4,840
$167,600
$171,030
$137,680
$203,410
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
1,690
$175,840
$182,200
$153,190
$214,050
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
1,300
$159,810
$157,470
$131,050
$201,900
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
1,020
$163,810
$159,420
$123,480
$204,660
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
960
$148,310
$156,710
$129,070
$203,540
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
370
$163,700
$181,170
$137,580
$238,720
Bakersfield-Delano
340
$122,960
$131,620
$96,930
$176,800
Fresno
310
$127,830
$139,030
$100,590
$194,650
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
270
$149,460
$156,140
$125,240
$198,510
Stockton-Lodi
220
$125,320
$136,210
$98,960
$193,790
Salinas
150
$153,930
$155,230
$109,600
$206,670
Vallejo
150
$175,070
$174,110
$137,820
$213,530
Modesto
130
$136,920
$148,470
$112,970
$203,470
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
110
$140,400
$148,160
$100,630
$203,110
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
110
$161,440
$164,830
$129,690
$200,620
Merced
100
$121,720
$132,600
$109,130
$197,410
Visalia
100
$124,940
$140,390
$109,200
$175,620
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
80
$157,650
$159,090
$102,570
$197,030
Chico
70
$124,660
$131,580
$102,730
$199,660
Redding
70
$135,110
$149,910
$107,440
$203,910
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
70
$172,590
$163,910
$125,410
$198,920
Hanford-Corcoran
60
$125,150
$123,170
$90,680
$173,070
El Centro
50
$149,290
$152,510
$82,600
$205,040
Napa
50
$164,150
$164,760
$96,280
$209,080
Yuba City
50
$121,880
$129,170
$86,460
$171,170
Wages reflect survey data and vary based on experience, credentials, employer, and local market conditions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May .
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do police and detective supervisors make in California?
The median annual wage for police and detective supervisors in California is $163,960, above the national median of $106,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle of the range runs from $135,170 at the 25th percentile to $190,130 at the 75th.
How many police and detective supervisors work in California?
California holds about 13,200 police supervisor jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Nationally the occupation employs 154,610, and BLS projects about 10,900 openings per year through 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Do I need a license to work as a police supervisor in California?
Sworn officers are certified by a state peace-officer standards and training commission, not by a degree, and promotion to sergeant or above is governed by the employing agency's own process. What a degree does here is satisfy the educational requirement many agencies attach to command ranks and to federal law enforcement hiring. Requirements differ agency by agency as well as state by state. Requirements are set at the state level and change periodically, so confirm the current rules with your state peace officer standards and training commission before you enroll in any program.
Can I earn a criminal justice and law enforcement administration degree online while working in California?
Often yes. Programs built for working adults deliver coursework online or in the evenings, though any required labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience are completed in person. Confirm that the program's accreditation satisfies your state peace officer standards and training commission.
What is the highest-paying area of California for police and detective supervisors?
Among California metro areas with published data, San Francisco reports the highest median at $175,840 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is California a good state for police and detective supervisors?
On pay, the state median of $163,960 sits above the national $106,040 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A location quotient of 0.73 means the occupation is less concentrated here than in the average state. Weigh that against cost of living and how concentrated the work is near where you actually want to live.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives (SOC 33-1012), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
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/.
