The average salary of police officers in Michigan varies based on the community, and that difference can mean being paid above or below the national average.
The median salary for Michigan police and sheriff’s patrol officers is $53,760,
LawEnforcementEDU.net reported, citing 2012-13 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
That is approximately $3,000 lower than the national median pay,
according to the BLS.
Urgent: Should All Police Officers Have to Wear Body Cameras?
Police supervisors receive $70,270, and detectives and criminal investigators earn $71,290.
According to Indeed, the average salary for a police officer in Michigan is $29,000.
Michigan state police have a starting
salary of $41,000, Criminal Justice Degree Schools reported. After 20 years of service, they are granted the maximum salary for an officer of $62,000.
Pay is a large concern for Michigan police officers, especially those in Detroit.
Officers working for Wayne State University make $43,000 a year,
WJBK-TV reported in March 2014. Detroit police have to work four years to meet that amount, as the starting pay is $14 an hour.
Police Chief James Craig told WJBK that turnover is high as officers work in Detroit to receive training and then head to the suburbs after a few months.
“Let's face it – Detroit police officers probably learn to do more in six months than most departments learn their entire police career,” Craig told the television station.
Emergency manager Kevyn Orr was trying to free up funds to invest in the police and fire departments, WJBK reported.
Tell Us: Does Racism Play a Role in Police Officers' Actions?
Nonetheless, the officers are leaving to join the forces in suburban places like Ann Arbor, Canton, and Novi, where cops are paid above the
national average, according to Salary.com. These locations have a median salary of more than $54,000.
Detroit, however, is not alone in paying its officers below the nation’s average salary for police officers.
While Detroit joins Livonia, Grand Rapids, and Dearborn in having a median pay for officers above $52,000 annually, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, and Lansing provide median salaries of around $50,000 or less.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.