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Table 70

Full-time Law Enforcement Employees1

by Region and Geographic Division by Population Group

Number and Rate per 1,000 Inhabitants, 2011

Region/geographic division Total
(11,234 cities; population 197,246,457) 		Group I
(75 cities, 250,000 and over; population 56,398,148)		 Group II
(196 cities,
100,000 to
249,999;
population
29,447,050)		 Group III
(428 cities,
50,000 to
99,999;
population
29,634,590)		 Group IV
(828 cities,
25,000 to
49,999;
population
28,652,012)		 Group V
(1,834 cities,
10,000 to
24,999;
population
29,005,261)		 Group VI
(7,873 cities,
under 10,000;
population
24,109,396)		 Total
city agencies		 2011
estimated
city
population		 County2
(3,399
agencies;
population
95,812,483)		 Total city
and county
agencies		 2011
estimated
total agency
population		 Suburban Areas3
(7,630 agencies;
population
125,240,573)
TOTAL Number of employees 568,786 199,012 67,506 63,556 62,758 67,544 108,410 11,234 197,246,457 433,198 14,633 293,058,940 465,194
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.9 3.5 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.3 4.5 4.5 3.7
NORTHEAST Number of employees 146,598 62,580 9,452 15,549 17,898 19,254 21,865 2,592 44,795,747
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.3 5.6 3.2 2.3 2.2 2.1 3.3
NEW ENGLAND Number of employees 34,206 2,719 4,613 6,001 6,593 7,421 6,859 803 12,963,908
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 4.4 3.1 2.3 2.2 2.2 3.7
MIDDLE ATLANTIC Number of employees 112,392 59,861 4,839 9,548 11,305 11,833 15,006 1,789 31,831,839
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.5 5.7 3.2 2.4 2.2 2.0 3.2
MIDWEST Number of employees 114,645 34,168 8,840 12,692 16,191 18,467 24,287 3,272 44,800,021
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 3.6 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.1 3.3
EAST NORTH CENTRAL Number of employees 81,917 26,325 5,623 8,908 12,629 13,047 15,385 2,060 31,447,185
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 3.8 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.1 3.3
WEST NORTH CENTRAL Number of employees 32,728 7,843 3,217 3,784 3,562 5,420 8,902 1,212 13,352,836
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.5 3.1 2.0 1.7 1.9 2.1 3.4
SOUTH Number of employees 194,364 53,497 29,481 20,201 19,093 22,979 49,113 3,960 57,830,484
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.4 3.2 2.7 2.7 2.7 3.0 6.4
SOUTH ATLANTIC Number of employees 91,706 21,601 15,317 11,226 9,025 10,624 23,913 1,700 23,920,448
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.8 4.2 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.2 7.7
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of employees 32,439 7,208 4,606 2,028 4,057 5,110 9,430 902 9,433,738
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 3.4 2.9 3.4 2.9 2.8 3.2 5.2
WEST SOUTH CENTRAL Number of employees 70,219 24,688 9,558 6,947 6,011 7,245 15,770 1,358 24,476,298
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.9 2.7 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.7 5.6
WEST Number of employees 113,179 48,767 19,733 15,114 9,576 6,844 13,145 1,410 49,820,205
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.3 2.6 1.8 1.7 1.8 2.1 5.3
MOUNTAIN Number of employees 41,022 16,774 6,642 4,577 3,909 2,530 6,590 631 15,834,272
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.6 2.8 2.0 2.1 1.9 2.4 5.3
PACIFIC Number of employees 72,157 31,993 13,091 10,537 5,667 4,314 6,555 779 33,985,933
Average number of employees per 1,000 inhabitants 2.1 2.5 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.9 5.4
  • 1 Full-time law enforcement employees include civilians.
  • 2 The designation county is a combination of both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties.
  • 3 Suburban areas include law enforcement agencies in cities with less than 50,000 inhabitants and county law enforcement agencies that are within a Metropolitan Statistical Area (see Data Declaration). Suburban areas exclude all metropolitan agencies associated with a principal city. The agencies associated with suburban areas also appear in other groups within this table.

Data Declaration

Provides the methodology used in constructing this table and other pertinent information about this table.

Overview

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Full-time Law Enforcement Employees by Region and Geographic Division by Population Group, Number and Rate per 1,000 Inhabitants, 2011

  • In 2011, law enforcement agencies in U.S. cities reported an average of 2.9 full-time law enforcement employees, including both sworn officers and civilians, per 1,000 inhabitants.
  • The rate of full-time law enforcement employees in cities in the South was the highest at 3.4 per 1,000 inhabitants. 
  • In cities in the Northeast, the rate of full-time law enforcement employees was 3.3 per 1,000 inhabitants.
  • In cities in the Midwest, the rate of full-time law enforcement employees was 2.6 per 1,000 inhabitants.
  • The rate of full-time law enforcement employees in cities in the West was 2.3 per 1,000 inhabitants.