Pay for police in Georgia is around
the lowest in the nation.
In 2014, police officers in the Atlanta metro area received
average annual pay of $41,430, well below the average pay for comparable work
done by officers in the Charlotte, N.C., and Dallas, Texas, metropolitan areas
according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational
Employment Statistics.
In the Charlotte area, police received an average of
$48,150, while in the Dallas area officers were paid an average of $59,840.
Both areas have been used by the AJC as benchmarks to compare Atlanta’s
economic progress over the past year.
Low pay in the Atlanta Police Department has been
highlighted in news articles running in The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution that have focused on Atlanta police officers’ effort
to gain a pay raise under Mayor Kasim Reed.
The low pay is showing up in turnover and lower morale among APD officers according to people interviewed by the AJC.
Police Statewide Georgia
While some officers may choose to switch to other
jurisdictions in the state for higher pay, the unfortunate reality is that the low
pay for Atlanta officers also reflects the low pay statewide for police in
Georgia, which averaged $38,250.
In 2014, only Mississippi, with salaries averaging $32,740, reported
lower average pay for police officers statewide than Georgia. Pay for police in Arkansas at $37,730 and
South Carolina at $38,630 were comparable to pay in Georgia.
Average salaries for police in the other 46 states all
exceeded the average pay in Georgia.
For police looking to relocate to a higher paying state, New
Jersey recorded the highest average pay for police at $88,530. Other states
with high average pay included California, Alaska, New York, and Washington.
Firefighters
While pay for firefighters in the Atlanta metro area and
statewide Georgia is also low, their pay relative to other areas is less dramatic.
Firefighters in the Atlanta metro area averaged $35,640 in
2014, while those employed in the Charlotte area averaged $34,930 and those
employed in the Dallas metro received $50,390.
Statewide, Georgia firefighters averaged $33,810, and
although among the 10 lowest paid in the nation, still equal or above 8 other
states, including West Virginia, which recorded the nation’s lowest pay at
$29,180.
New Jersey firefighters came in highest at $77,550 followed
by firefighters in New York, California, and Washington.
