Despite the familiar sight of police in our communities, a closer look at the nearly 700,000 officers serving across the nation reveals a complex tapestry of demographics, budgets, and public trust that shapes modern law enforcement.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the United States had approximately 697,195 full-time sworn law enforcement officers across nearly 18,000 agencies
- As of 2021, women comprised 12.6% of full-time sworn officers in local police departments
- Black or African American officers made up 12.5% of full-time sworn personnel in local police departments in 2021
- In FY2022, total US police expenditures reached $122.3 billion
- Police spending accounted for 9% of city general expenditures in 2022
- From 2017-2022, police funding in large cities increased by 4.6% nominally
- In 2022, police made 7.6 million arrests nationwide
- Drug abuse violations accounted for 1.1 million arrests or 15% of total in 2022
- There were 549,136 arrests for violent crimes in 2022
- From 2015-2022, police use of force incidents resulted in 8,000 civilian deaths
- In 2022, 1,176 people were killed by police in the US
- Black Americans were 2.9 times more likely to be killed by police than whites in 2022
- In 2023 Gallup poll, 51% of Americans confident in local police, up from 48% in 2022
- 66% of white Americans trust police a great deal/fair amount in 2023, vs 36% Black
- 42% of Americans satisfied with police honesty in 2022 Pew survey
This blog post provides demographic, funding, and public opinion statistics about American policing.
Arrests and Enforcement Activities
1In 2022, police made 7.6 million arrests nationwide
Verified2Drug abuse violations accounted for 1.1 million arrests or 15% of total in 2022
Verified3There were 549,136 arrests for violent crimes in 2022
Verified4Property crime arrests totaled 846,000 in 2022, representing 11% of total arrests
Directional5DUI arrests numbered 803,000 in 2022
Single source669% of all arrests in 2022 were of adults aged 18 and over
Verified7Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter arrests were 8,757 in 2022
Verified8Aggravated assault arrests reached 248,300 in 2022
Verified9Larceny-theft arrests totaled 522,000 in 2022
Directional10456,220 arrests for drug violations occurred in 2021, down from previous years
Single source11Traffic arrests were 1.2 million in 2022
Verified12Robbery arrests numbered 38,000 in 2022
Verified1327% of arrests were for crimes against persons in 2022
Verified14Burglary arrests were 92,000 in 2022
Directional15Weapons violation arrests totaled 164,000 in 2022
Single source16In 2022, 10.4 million arrests were estimated including unreported agencies
Verified17Rape arrests were 13,200 in 2022
Verified18Vagrancy arrests numbered 22,000 in 2022
Verified1981% of murder arrests were male offenders in 2022
Directional20Motor vehicle theft arrests were 67,000 in 2022
Single source21Under 18-year-olds accounted for 5% of all arrests in 2022
Verified22Simple assaults led with 603,000 arrests in 2022
Verified23Forgery and counterfeiting arrests were 37,000 in 2022
Verified2473% of violent crime arrests were adults in 2022
Directional25Arson arrests totaled 6,800 in 2022
Single source26Sex offenses (except rape) arrests were 40,000 in 2022
Verified27In 2021, police conducted 21 million traffic stops
Verified28Fraud arrests numbered 85,000 in 2022
Verified2915% of arrests involved drug possession only in 2022
Directional30Embezzlement arrests were 11,000 in 2022
Single sourceArrests and Enforcement Activities Interpretation
The landscape of American law enforcement in 2022 reveals a nation grappling most frequently with traffic stops and drug violations, yet haunted most profoundly by the stark, though relatively few, arrests for murder and rape.
Budget and Funding
1In FY2022, total US police expenditures reached $122.3 billion
Verified2Police spending accounted for 9% of city general expenditures in 2022
Verified3From 2017-2022, police funding in large cities increased by 4.6% nominally
Verified4New York City allocated $11.3 billion to NYPD in FY2023
Directional5Federal funding for law enforcement grants totaled $1.8 billion in FY2022 via COPS
Single source6Average police budget per officer was $185,000 in large US cities in 2022
Verified7Salaries and wages comprised 42% of police budgets in cities over 1 million in 2022
Verified8Overtime pay for police rose 27% from 2018-2022 in major cities
Verified9State and local governments spent $115 billion on police protection in 2020
Directional10Police funding increased 11% adjusted for inflation from 2016-2022 in 100 largest cities
Single source11COPS Hiring Program awarded $139 million to hire 1,476 officers in FY2022
Verified12Pensions for police officers cost states $40 billion annually as of 2021
Verified1325% of police budgets in small cities went to equipment in 2021
Verified14Los Angeles PD budget was $1.85 billion in FY2023
Directional15Federal Byrne JAG grants distributed $380 million for law enforcement in FY2022
Single source16Police salaries averaged $72,200 nationally in 2022
Verified17Benefits added 35% to police compensation costs in 2021
Verified18Capital spending on police facilities was $5.2 billion in 2020
Verified19Minneapolis police budget rose 12% post-2020 despite defund talks
Directional2068% of police budgets were personnel costs in mid-sized cities 2022
Single source21Chicago PD budget hit $2.1 billion in 2023
Verified22Military equipment transfers via 1033 program valued $7.4 billion from 2006-2020
Verified23Training budgets averaged $1,200 per officer annually in 2021
Verified24Philadelphia PD allocated $840 million in FY2023
Directional25Nationwide police overtime expenditures totaled $3.5 billion in 2021
Single source26In 2022, law enforcement agencies received $1.2 billion in asset forfeiture funds
Verified27Houston PD budget was $1.4 billion for FY2023
VerifiedBudget and Funding Interpretation
America keeps writing a very large, very serious check to the police, but the overtime charges suggest we’re not exactly getting a bulk discount on public safety.
Officer Demographics and Employment
1In 2022, the United States had approximately 697,195 full-time sworn law enforcement officers across nearly 18,000 agencies
Verified2As of 2021, women comprised 12.6% of full-time sworn officers in local police departments
Verified3Black or African American officers made up 12.5% of full-time sworn personnel in local police departments in 2021
Verified4The average age of full-time sworn officers in local police departments was 41 years in 2021
Directional5Hispanic or Latino officers represented 18.1% of full-time sworn officers in local police departments in 2021
Single source6In 2020, there were 18,396 state and local law enforcement agencies in the US reporting to the FBI's UCR program
Verified7Full-time sworn officers increased by 1.2% from 2019 to 2020 in sheriff's offices
Verified8In 2021, 73% of local police departments were located in cities with populations under 10,000
Verified9The ratio of full-time sworn officers to 1,000 residents was 2.4 nationally in 2020
Directional10Asian officers accounted for 1.7% of full-time sworn personnel in municipal police departments in 2021
Single source11In 2019, 84% of local police departments had 50 or fewer full-time sworn officers
Verified12Female officers in sheriff's offices rose to 11.5% in 2020 from 10.8% in 2016
Verified13In 2021, the median years of service for full-time sworn officers was 11 years
Verified14Tribal police agencies employed 3,100 full-time sworn officers in 2020
Directional1565% of full-time sworn officers had some college education or higher in 2021 local police departments
Single source16Rural counties had 1.9 officers per 1,000 residents in 2020, compared to 2.6 in suburban areas
Verified17In 2022, New York City Police Department had 35,881 officers, the largest in the US
Verified187.3% of officers were under 25 years old in local police departments in 2021
Verified19Special jurisdiction agencies had 49,000 full-time sworn officers in 2020
Directional2025% of local police departments reported officer shortages in 2021 surveys
Single source21In 2018, 14.4% of sworn officers were female across all agencies
Verified22Local police departments authorized 449,000 full-time personnel in 2019
Verified2342% of officers had bachelor's degrees or higher in 2021
Verified24Sheriff's offices in the West had the highest officer-to-population ratio at 2.8 per 1,000 in 2020
Directional252.1% of full-time sworn officers were Native American or Alaska Native in 2021
Single source26Chicago PD had 11,836 sworn officers in 2022
Verified2718% of agencies reported hiring more than 10 new officers in 2021
Verified28Full-time sworn officers totaled 780,000 including all levels in 2020
Verified2930.4% of officers were aged 40-49 in local departments in 2021
DirectionalOfficer Demographics and Employment Interpretation
Despite an army of nearly 700,000 officers, American policing remains a predominantly older, male, and locally fragmented profession, slowly inching toward greater diversity while grappling with persistent staffing shortages and a wide disparity in community resources.
Public Trust and Perceptions
1In 2023 Gallup poll, 51% of Americans confident in local police, up from 48% in 2022
Verified266% of white Americans trust police a great deal/fair amount in 2023, vs 36% Black
Verified342% of Americans satisfied with police honesty in 2022 Pew survey
Verified481% of Republicans confident in police in 2023, vs 28% Democrats
Directional5Only 33% of Black Americans rate local police performance as excellent/good in 2023
Single source656% approval of local law enforcement in 2023 Harvard CAPS poll
Verified7Trust in police dropped to 45% nationally post-2020 George Floyd
Verified862% of Americans say police treat whites better than minorities in 2022
Verified975% support more police funding in high-crime neighborhoods 2023
Directional1047% of young adults (18-29) confident in police 2023 Gallup
Single source1189% of Americans want police to spend same/more time in communities 2021
Verified12Satisfaction with police response times at 68% in 2022 surveys
Verified1326% of Black Americans trust police to treat them fairly in 2023
Verified1470% believe police make communities safer per 2023 poll
Directional15Urban residents trust police at 48% in 2023, vs 60% rural
Single source1655% approve of police handling protests in 2022
Verified1764% say police respect people's rights in 2023 NAPO poll
Verified18Only 38% of Democrats have high confidence in police 2023
Verified1992% of Americans rank police among top respected professions 2023
Directional2049% satisfied with police protection in neighborhoods 2022
Single source21Hispanic trust in police at 52% in 2023 Gallup
Verified2267% support qualified immunity for officers 2023 poll
Verified2359% say more police needed in most communities 2023
Verified24Trust rebound to 51% in 2023 from 48% low in 2022
Directional2571% of Americans want police focused on serious crimes 2021
Single source2645% rate local police performance positively in 2023 Pew
VerifiedPublic Trust and Perceptions Interpretation
The statistics paint a portrait of a nation that simultaneously respects its police as an institution, depends on them for safety, and yet harbors a deep, persistent, and often racialized skepticism about whether that institution will treat all of its citizens fairly.
Use of Force Incidents
1From 2015-2022, police use of force incidents resulted in 8,000 civilian deaths
Verified2In 2022, 1,176 people were killed by police in the US
Verified3Black Americans were 2.9 times more likely to be killed by police than whites in 2022
Verified497% of police killings from 1980-2022 did not result in officer charges
Directional5Tasers were used in 1% of police-public interactions in 2021
Single source624% of people killed by police in 2022 were Black, despite being 13% of population
Verified7Police used firearms in 94% of fatal force incidents in 2022
Verified8From 2013-2022, 30% of police killings involved mental health crises
Verified9Non-lethal force was reported in 2% of contacts in 2021 BJS survey
Directional101,096 police killings occurred in 2021
Single source11Officers were killed by gunfire 60 times in 2022
Verified1215% of deadly force victims were fleeing in 2022
Verified13Chokeholds and neck restraints used in 5% of force incidents pre-2020 bans
Verified1478% of police shooting victims were armed in 2022 WaPo data
Directional15Police dogs bitten 1,000+ people annually pre-2020
Single source16Less-lethal munitions like rubber bullets used 2,000+ times in 2020 protests
Verified1726 unarmed people killed by police in 2022
Verified18Force complaints sustained in only 8% of cases in 2021
Verified19Pepper spray deployed in 1.5% of use-of-force reports 2015-2020
Directional2055% of fatal police encounters involved vehicle pursuits 2015-2022
Single source21Body cameras captured 65% of use-of-force incidents in equipped depts 2021
Verified22Native Americans killed by police at 3x rate of population share in 2022
Verified2340% of police killings had no body camera footage in 2022
Verified24Electrical weapons like Tasers caused 1,150 deaths since 2001
Directional25Hands-on physical force used in 22% of traffic stops 2021
Single source2612 people killed by police per million in 2022
VerifiedUse of Force Incidents Interpretation
These sobering numbers reveal a system where the badge too often becomes a casket, accountability is a statistical ghost, and communities of color bear a disproportionate weight of the tragedy.
Sources & References
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