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CopJobs tracker · as of Oct 20, 2026

Police hiring tracker

How many sworn police jobs are open, week by week, and whether departments are growing or shrinking, from their own postings and FBI staffing data.

Open sworn jobs
3,083
week of Oct 19, 2026
Sworn officers, 2025
659,797
11,596 departments, FBI
Change since 2022
+3.2%
20,425 officers

Open sworn jobs by week

Week ofOpen sworn jobs
Oct 5, 20262,954
Oct 12, 20262,916
Oct 19, 20263,083
Police officer, deputy, trooper and command postings open on each Monday, from the date each posting first appeared and closed. CopJobs added sources through October 2026 (New York, Mississippi, Iowa and others), so early weeks partly reflect coverage growing; the series is comparable from November 2026.

Monthly snapshots

MonthOpen sworn jobsDepartments hiringMedian starting pay
2026-102,7391,524$68,999
Recorded on the first weekly update of each month and kept as recorded. State figures are in the same snapshot.

Sworn officers by state, 2022 to 2025

State20222025Change
District of Columbia3,8143,370-11.6%
Nevada6,5885,832-11.5%
Maryland14,87114,394-3.2%
West Virginia2,6692,585-3.1%
Alaska1,2671,235-2.5%
Wyoming1,4281,396-2.2%
Pennsylvania23,80523,307-2.1%
Hawaii2,6992,654-1.7%
Missouri10,0129,937-0.7%
Louisiana11,65411,666+0.1%
New Jersey33,47033,550+0.2%
Indiana8,0628,119+0.7%
Wisconsin11,68611,791+0.9%
Montana2,0322,056+1.2%
Rhode Island1,8311,853+1.2%
California68,00368,884+1.3%
New York53,91454,609+1.3%
Ohio11,42311,594+1.5%
Nebraska3,4123,484+2.1%
Arizona12,26612,553+2.3%
Michigan16,95217,376+2.5%
Illinois28,65729,406+2.6%
Iowa5,2415,398+3.0%
Virginia18,08918,631+3.0%
Kansas4,8274,993+3.4%
Oregon5,4695,657+3.4%
Vermont894927+3.7%
North Dakota1,8091,878+3.8%
Massachusetts16,92817,612+4.0%
New Hampshire2,6942,802+4.0%
Washington10,21610,638+4.1%
Mississippi4,9915,218+4.5%
Connecticut7,4017,738+4.6%
Minnesota9,4319,885+4.8%
Idaho2,9223,064+4.9%
Colorado11,17311,751+5.2%
Arkansas7,0427,421+5.4%
Kentucky4,2984,529+5.4%
North Carolina23,10024,385+5.6%
Alabama10,85611,484+5.8%
Florida36,03238,388+6.5%
Delaware1,4891,594+7.1%
South Carolina8,2198,817+7.3%
Texas57,44161,704+7.4%
Maine2,2832,454+7.5%
Georgia20,75922,369+7.8%
Oklahoma8,6469,348+8.1%
Tennessee16,32717,777+8.9%
Utah5,4385,995+10.2%
South Dakota1,7441,977+13.4%
New Mexico3,0983,712+19.8%
Departments that reported sworn officers to the FBI every year from 2022 to 2025 (11,596). Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, Law Enforcement Employees.

Biggest changes among police departments

Shrinking

  1. Montgomery Police DepartmentAL · 390 → 259 officers-33.6%
  2. Burlington Police DepartmentMA · 66 → 44 officers-33.3%
  3. Texarkana Police DepartmentAR · 73 → 56 officers-23.3%
  4. Algonquin Police DepartmentIL · 62 → 48 officers-22.6%
  5. Pleasantville Police DepartmentNJ · 55 → 43 officers-21.8%
  6. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police DepartmentNV · 4102 → 3226 officers-21.4%
  7. Lancaster Police DepartmentPA · 132 → 105 officers-20.5%
  8. Shelton Police DepartmentCT · 54 → 43 officers-20.4%
  9. Grandview Police DepartmentMO · 50 → 40 officers-20.0%
  10. Morgantown Police DepartmentWV · 71 → 57 officers-19.7%

Growing

  1. Forest Park Police DepartmentGA · 63 → 87 officers+38.1%
  2. Kyle Police DepartmentTX · 58 → 80 officers+37.9%
  3. Hagerstown Police DepartmentMD · 78 → 106 officers+35.9%
  4. Goodyear Police DepartmentAZ · 129 → 174 officers+34.9%
  5. Port St. Lucie Police DepartmentFL · 251 → 336 officers+33.9%
  6. Hemet Police DepartmentCA · 65 → 86 officers+32.3%
  7. Brookhaven Police DepartmentGA · 75 → 99 officers+32.0%
  8. West Monroe Police DepartmentLA · 50 → 66 officers+32.0%
  9. Statesville Police DepartmentNC · 66 → 87 officers+31.8%
  10. Statesboro Police DepartmentGA · 63 → 83 officers+31.7%

Police departments with at least 50 sworn officers in 2022. Sheriff's offices are left out of this list and swings of more than 40% are excluded, because those usually reflect a change in what the department reports to the FBI (jail staff counted in or out), not hiring.

Sources