Police and sheriff's patrol officers
SOC Code: 33-3051
Police and sheriff's patrol officers carries a 40% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $76,290 and +3.1% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 698,800 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 40% AI exposure, Police and sheriff's patrol officers sits 3 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 68% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
54/100
Police and sheriff's patrol officers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage B $76,290
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth C +3.1%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 40% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Police and sheriff's patrol officers in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Police and sheriff's patrol officers keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Police and sheriff's patrol officers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Police and sheriff's patrol officers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
40% Around the middle lower than 32% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Police and sheriff's patrol officers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Police and sheriff's patrol officers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Police and sheriff's patrol officers's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 33-3051) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Police and sheriff's patrol officers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Police and sheriff's patrol officers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Examine immigration applications, visas, and passports and interview persons to determine eligibility for admission, residence, and travel in the U.S.
- 2. Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
- 3. Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
- 4. Detain persons found to be in violation of customs or immigration laws and arrange for legal action, such as deportation.
- 5. Inspect cargo, baggage, and personal articles entering or leaving U.S. for compliance with revenue laws and U.S. customs regulations.
- 6. Locate and seize contraband, undeclared merchandise, and vehicles, aircraft, or boats that contain such merchandise.
- 7. Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
- 8. Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
- 9. Interpret and explain laws and regulations to travelers, prospective immigrants, shippers, and manufacturers.
- 10. Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Social Perceptiveness
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Learning
- Coordination
Knowledge Areas
- Law and Government
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
- Geography
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Education and Training
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Police and sheriff's patrol officers?
Police and sheriff's patrol officers has an AI exposure score of 40%, indicating a high level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Police and sheriff's patrol officers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Police and sheriff's patrol officers is projected to grow by 3.1% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 698,800 workers.
What skills are needed for Police and sheriff's patrol officers?
Key skills for Police and sheriff's patrol officers include Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Police and sheriff's patrol officers earn?
The median annual wage for Police and sheriff's patrol officers is $76,290, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Police and sheriff's patrol officers?
The typical entry-level education for Police and sheriff's patrol officers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Police and sheriff's patrol officers?
Police and sheriff's patrol officers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Police and sheriff's patrol officers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (40% here).
- Bus drivers, transit and intercity · AI exposure 40%
- Community health workers · AI exposure 40%
- Credit counselors · AI exposure 40%
- Curators · AI exposure 40%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+3.1% here).
- Financial specialists, all other · growth +3.1%
- First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers · growth +3.1%
- Funeral attendants · growth +3.1%
- Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers · growth +3.1%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
What to do with this
Use Police and sheriff's patrol officers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Police and sheriff's patrol officers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).