The average salary of a police officer in Maine is less than the national average.
The average annual wage for police and sheriff’s patrol officers nationwide in May 2014 was $56,810,
according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Maine, the Bureau reported the average annual wage for such officers was $43,270.
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Additional information on the Bureau's website shows the annual mean wage of police and sheriff’s patrol officers at the same time was $28,380 for the 10th percentile, $35,460 for the 25th percentile, $42,790 for the 50th percentile, $50,490 for the 75th percentile, and $58,330 for the 90th percentile.
Maine ranks in the bottom quarter, at 39th, among states in terms of the percentage of the average home price the average officer’s annual salary can cover,
according to How to Become a Police Officer.
The 2012 average police officer salary in Maine was $42,630 while the 2013 median property list price in that state was $195,900, according to Zillow, a real estate website, meaning the average annual salary encompassed 22 percent of the median home price. Ohio officers enjoyed the nation’s highest such figure at 43 percent, while Hawaii had the lowest with 11 percent.
Maine is midway through a decade in which it’s expected to see an increase in patrol officer employment of 2 percent, from 2,080 in 2010 to 2,130 in 2020, according to How to Become a Police Officer.
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Police and sheriff’s patrol officers “maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, State or Federal laws and ordinances,” says the BLS.
Most police officers move on to other positions after 20 years,
according to PayScale.
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