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Law enforcement is one of the least glamorous jobs, made even less so in recent years by high-profile scandals of police brutality, especially toward unarmed minorities. But to serve and protect remains a necessary, and often thankless, public service. It’s a calling that more than 900,000 Americans have answered, knowing full well the hazards associated with their occupation. In the past 10 years, for instance, more than 1,500 police officers, including 143 in 2016 alone, died in the line of duty. Tens of thousands more were assaulted and injured.

Because of such dangers and risks, law-enforcement agencies must offer enough incentives to attract and retain cops. So what qualities define a good place to live and work for those donning their blue uniforms? Besides a $61,600 mean annual wage that exceeds the $49,630 for all occupations, a generous benefits package can include retirement-contribution matches, tuition assistance, ample leave time, a take-home vehicle, and access to health and fitness facilities. Officers also may begin drawing full retirement benefits as early as age 40, depending on when they entered the force.

Beyond financial perks, officers are more likely to be attracted to police departments that steer clear of scandal and corruption. A transparent police force — one that publicizes an officer’s disciplinary history, for instance — has become one of the biggest priorities for officers who seek longevity and stability in their profession.

In order, therefore, to determine the best states in which to pursue a law-enforcement career, WalletHub’s data team compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 20 key indicators of police-friendliness. Our data set ranges from median income for law-enforcement officers to police deaths per 1,000 officers to state and local police-protection expenses per capita. Read on for our findings, commentary from a panel of researchers and full description of our methodology.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/34669/geochart-stressed-states.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2puRL0l;  

Best States to Be a Cop

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	‘Opportunity & Competition’ Rank	‘Job Hazards & Protections’ Rank	‘Quality of Life’ Rank
1	North Dakota	63.05	12	6	1
2	Connecticut	59.56	31	1	10
3	New York	58.57	2	25	12
4	Illinois	58.04	5	11	16
5	Minnesota	56.66	16	4	29
6	New Hampshire	56.29	48	5	2
7	New Jersey	55.32	6	8	34
8	Texas	54.50	3	27	21
9	Maine	54.13	49	2	19
10	South Dakota	54.01	38	13	4
11	Delaware	53.46	29	10	14
12	Rhode Island	52.73	43	3	25
T-13	Pennsylvania	52.13	9	15	37
T-13	Washington	52.13	18	12	33
15	Maryland	52.05	13	33	5
16	District of Columbia	51.93	1	48	22
17	Indiana	51.91	19	18	20
18	Hawaii	51.40	26	23	11
19	Massachusetts	51.27	17	9	41
20	Florida	51.19	40	21	8
21	California	50.86	8	28	31
22	Wisconsin	50.47	21	17	32
23	Virginia	49.84	11	14	47
24	Michigan	49.79	10	30	30
25	Vermont	48.95	41	7	40
26	Kansas	48.45	42	39	3
27	North Carolina	48.20	20	16	46
28	Utah	48.18	51	22	7
29	Wyoming	48.11	14	32	24
30	Colorado	47.98	7	43	23
31	Ohio	47.83	24	20	38
32	West Virginia	47.75	36	35	9
33	Iowa	47.56	23	29	27
34	Arizona	47.46	15	31	35
35	Montana	46.40	32	40	15
36	Oregon	46.16	44	24	26
37	Nevada	45.25	39	44	6
38	Oklahoma	44.78	28	46	13
39	Nebraska	44.15	27	36	36
40	Alabama	43.43	45	38	17
41	Mississippi	43.23	25	47	18
42	Idaho	43.05	47	19	43
43	Georgia	42.12	35	26	51
44	Missouri	41.72	34	34	42
45	South Carolina	40.44	37	42	39
46	Tennessee	38.49	30	45	48
47	Kentucky	38.46	50	36	44
48	New Mexico	38.06	4	50	45
49	Alaska	37.36	22	51	28
50	Arkansas	35.88	46	41	50
51	Louisiana	33.14	33	49	49

 

Ask the Experts

The future of law enforcement rests in the hands of policy, the availability of resources, and the relationship between cops and the residents they vow to serve and protect. To advance the discussion, we asked a panel of experts for their insight on the following key questions:

1. What are the biggest issues facing police officers today?
2. What is the long-term outlook for the law-enforcement field?
3. Do you think police departments should invest more in technology and equipment or focus more on developing soft skills for use in community policing?
4. What measures should police undertake to improve relationships with the community, especially in minority communities?
5. What strategies have proven effective in diversifying the police force so that it is more representative of the community?

Methodology

In order to determine the best and worst states for police officers, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Opportunity & Competition, 2) Job Hazards & Protections and 3) Quality of Life.

We evaluated those dimensions using 20 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for police officers.

We then calculated the total score for each state and the District based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to construct our final ranking.

Opportunity & Competition – Total Points: 40

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected form U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Projections Central State Occupational Projections, Council for Community and Economic Research, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, New York Public Radio, Urban Institute, Amnesty International USA, The Officer Down Memorial Page, Mapping Police Violence, Murder Accountability Project, The National 911 Program, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, DrugAbuse.com and WalletHub research.

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