CopJobs data · as of Oct 20, 2026
Where police can afford to live
In Tri-Cities WA, a new officer's starting pay covers a year of 2-bedroom rent with 81% left over. In Greater Boston, rent takes 60% of it. Here are 94 metro areas, ranked by how much of a starting salary goes to rent.
Rent as a share of starting pay
Most affordable first| Metro area | Median starting pay | 2-bedroom rent | Rent share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Tri-Cities WA | $96,782 | $1,538/mo | 19% |
| 2. Appleton Area WI | $69,680 | $1,236/mo | 21% |
| 3. Visalia Area CA | $82,371 | $1,474/mo | 22% |
| 4. Greater Cincinnati OH | $74,761 | $1,353/mo | 22% |
| 5. Dayton Area OH | $69,430 | $1,273/mo | 22% |
| 6. Greeley Area CO | $84,531 | $1,563/mo | 22% |
| 7. Milwaukee Area WI | $68,786 | $1,338/mo | 23% |
| 8. St. Louis Area MO | $61,383 | $1,218/mo | 24% |
| 9. Twin Cities MN | $85,982 | $1,709/mo | 24% |
| 10. Columbus Area OH | $71,116 | $1,430/mo | 24% |
| 11. Chicago Area IL | $86,058 | $1,781/mo | 25% |
| 12. Central Arkansas AR | $55,068 | $1,147/mo | 25% |
| 13. Stockton Area CA | $83,329 | $1,742/mo | 25% |
| 14. Lake Havasu City Area AZ | $64,938 | $1,365/mo | 25% |
| 15. Indianapolis Area IN | $68,453 | $1,473/mo | 26% |
| 16. Vallejo Area CA | $100,831 | $2,178/mo | 26% |
| 17. El Centro Area CA | $62,801 | $1,362/mo | 26% |
| 18. Bakersfield Area CA | $67,848 | $1,483/mo | 26% |
| 19. Huntsville Area AL | $59,779 | $1,310/mo | 26% |
| 20. Olympia Area WA | $89,136 | $1,960/mo | 26% |
| 21. Grand Rapids Area MI | $69,370 | $1,531/mo | 27% |
| 22. Ocala Area FL | $61,800 | $1,373/mo | 27% |
| 23. Fresno Area CA | $74,535 | $1,664/mo | 27% |
| 24. Bremerton Area WA | $90,813 | $2,031/mo | 27% |
| 25. Houston Area TX | $69,711 | $1,573/mo | 27% |
| 26. Fort Collins Area CO | $74,963 | $1,732/mo | 28% |
| 27. Greenville Area SC | $50,600 | $1,173/mo | 28% |
| 28. San Antonio Area TX | $61,500 | $1,426/mo | 28% |
| 29. Salem Area OR | $67,080 | $1,560/mo | 28% |
| 30. Corvallis Area OR | $78,144 | $1,824/mo | 28% |
| 31. Portland Area OR | $82,243 | $1,922/mo | 28% |
| 32. Jacksonville Area NC | $49,983 | $1,173/mo | 28% |
| 33. Metro Detroit MI | $59,618 | $1,411/mo | 28% |
| 34. Grand Strand SC | $62,000 | $1,465/mo | 28% |
| 35. Madison Area WI | $71,635 | $1,694/mo | 28% |
| 36. Springfield Area MO | $45,864 | $1,095/mo | 29% |
| 37. Burlington Area NC | $56,540 | $1,348/mo | 29% |
| 38. Yuma Area AZ | $57,752 | $1,382/mo | 29% |
| 39. Winston-Salem Area NC | $51,537 | $1,232/mo | 29% |
| 40. Salt Lake Valley UT | $73,050 | $1,747/mo | 29% |
| 41. Dallas-Fort Worth TX | $80,079 | $1,931/mo | 29% |
| 42. Treasure Coast FL | $72,530 | $1,757/mo | 29% |
| 43. Daphne Area AL | $54,804 | $1,345/mo | 30% |
| 44. Kansas City Area KS | $54,954 | $1,358/mo | 30% |
| 45. Northwest Arkansas AR | $53,477 | $1,347/mo | 30% |
| 46. Phoenix Metro AZ | $72,769 | $1,839/mo | 30% |
| 47. Sarasota & Bradenton FL | $77,522 | $1,958/mo | 30% |
| 48. Merced Area CA | $59,155 | $1,503/mo | 31% |
| 49. Waterbury Area CT | $70,408 | $1,788/mo | 31% |
| 50. Las Vegas Valley NV | $68,245 | $1,735/mo | 31% |
| 51. Greater Hartford CT | $72,983 | $1,865/mo | 31% |
| 52. Austin Area TX | $71,854 | $1,852/mo | 31% |
| 53. Seattle-Tacoma Area WA | $96,098 | $2,501/mo | 31% |
| 54. Nashville Area TN | $66,204 | $1,730/mo | 31% |
| 55. Sacramento Area CA | $85,966 | $2,255/mo | 32% |
| 56. Providence Area RI | $65,167 | $1,729/mo | 32% |
| 57. New Haven Area CT | $72,954 | $1,969/mo | 32% |
| 58. Denver Metro CO | $76,138 | $2,089/mo | 33% |
| 59. Jacksonville & First Coast FL | $60,174 | $1,658/mo | 33% |
| 60. Kansas City Area MO | $49,000 | $1,358/mo | 33% |
| 61. Columbia Area SC | $45,546 | $1,276/mo | 34% |
| 62. Inland Empire CA | $77,796 | $2,201/mo | 34% |
| 63. Richmond Area VA | $58,383 | $1,655/mo | 34% |
| 64. San Jose & Silicon Valley CA | $121,128 | $3,483/mo | 35% |
| 65. Albany Area GA | $39,187 | $1,129/mo | 35% |
| 66. Charlotte Area NC | $58,225 | $1,686/mo | 35% |
| 67. Modesto Area CA | $60,174 | $1,758/mo | 35% |
| 68. Ventura County CA | $92,196 | $2,693/mo | 35% |
| 69. Raleigh Area NC | $59,658 | $1,750/mo | 35% |
| 70. Baltimore Area MD | $63,128 | $1,857/mo | 35% |
| 71. Reno Area NV | $63,521 | $1,870/mo | 35% |
| 72. San Francisco Bay Area CA | $97,864 | $2,912/mo | 36% |
| 73. Durham & Chapel Hill NC | $57,164 | $1,711/mo | 36% |
| 74. Central Florida FL | $64,890 | $1,972/mo | 37% |
| 75. Daytona Beach Area FL | $55,608 | $1,700/mo | 37% |
| 76. Hampton Roads VA | $55,867 | $1,713/mo | 37% |
| 77. Salinas Area CA | $87,324 | $2,684/mo | 37% |
| 78. Wilmington Area NC | $54,013 | $1,659/mo | 37% |
| 79. San Luis Obispo Area CA | $85,259 | $2,671/mo | 38% |
| 80. Philadelphia Area PA | $57,724 | $1,810/mo | 38% |
| 81. Tampa Bay FL | $62,400 | $1,977/mo | 38% |
| 82. Charleston Area SC | $55,940 | $1,787/mo | 38% |
| 83. Washington DC Area MD | $70,257 | $2,246/mo | 38% |
| 84. South Florida FL | $72,000 | $2,333/mo | 39% |
| 85. Metro Atlanta GA | $55,564 | $1,820/mo | 39% |
| 86. Los Angeles Area CA | $87,492 | $2,903/mo | 40% |
| 87. Emerald Coast FL | $53,100 | $1,785/mo | 40% |
| 88. Santa Rosa Area CA | $81,661 | $2,827/mo | 42% |
| 89. Washington DC Area VA | $62,880 | $2,246/mo | 43% |
| 90. Napa Area CA | $92,227 | $3,315/mo | 43% |
| 91. Fairfield County CT | $68,962 | $2,511/mo | 44% |
| 92. Space Coast FL | $45,885 | $1,709/mo | 45% |
| 93. San Diego County CA | $80,031 | $3,001/mo | 45% |
| 94. Greater Boston MA | $58,744 | $2,941/mo | 60% |
How this was put together
- Starting pay: the median entry-level starting salary of the metro's departments in the 2026 Police Starting Pay report, each figure from the department's own posting or pay page, quoted and linked there. A metro needs at least 3 departments.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (revised), 2-bedroom, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, for the HUD rent area that covers most of the metro's departments.
- Not included: taxes, benefits, overtime, hiring bonuses and housing stipends.
Published by CopJobs, Oct 20, 2026.