Like most states, the average salary of a Wyoming police officer depended on many things, including population, seniority, and competition within the area.
Unlike most states, the average salary of a police officer in Wyoming's capital city, Cheyenne, and surrounding areas was lower than other parts of Wyoming.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in May 2014 that average annual salaries of police and sheriff's patrol officers of the areas in and around Wyoming were as follows:
- Casper, Wyoming, $54,740
- Cheyenne, Wyoming, $50,830
- Northwestern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area, $46,410
- Southwestern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area, $54,360
- Northeastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area, $54,140
- Southeastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area, $46,960
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The BLS calculated the above annual salary figures by "by multiplying the hourly mean wage by 2,080 hours."
For state troopers, the entry level salary ranged from $42,672 to $45,684, depending on experience; this broke down to $3,556 to $3,807 per month,
according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Because of the Fair Labor Standards Act, law enforcement officers earned one and a half times their hourly rate for all time worked above 40 hours each week. They also received paid sick time, paid holidays, medical help, and tuition assistance.
At 584,153 people, Wyoming was the least populous state in the country, despite being the 10th largest in size,
according to 2010 U.S. census data.
Citing FBI statistics, 24/7 Wall St. reported in 2015 that Wyoming was the fourth-safest state, and was consistently ranked at the low end in terms of crimes committed.
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