Police stress is no longer a vague feeling, it shows up on checklists, questionnaires, and sleep logs. For example, 173 law enforcement officers died by suicide in the United States in 2022, while surveys still find large shares of officers and public safety staff reporting trauma-linked symptoms, burnout, and major mental health conditions. The surprising part is how consistently these findings cluster across different roles and measurement tools.
Key Takeaways
- 23% of U.S. workers reported experiencing “high levels of stress” on the job, based on APA’s 2023 Stress in America survey (self-reported high stress at work).
- 44% of respondents in a 2022 study of U.S. police reported symptoms consistent with at least one mental health condition (mental health symptom screening prevalence).
- 15% of public-safety telecommunicators reported having PTSD symptoms in a 2020 peer-reviewed study (PTSD symptom prevalence).
- 25% of police officers reported they had experienced significant sleep problems, based on a 2019 survey of U.S. police officers
- 47% of police officers reported difficulty recovering after traumatic incidents, based on a 2018 qualitative-to-quantitative occupational study
- 39% of law enforcement personnel reported feeling physically exhausted by their work, based on a 2020 occupational health survey
- 39% of police officers reported at least one symptom consistent with a mental health problem, based on a 2019 population-based survey of UK police
- 31% of officers reported elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D above a clinical cutoff), based on a 2020 study of law enforcement personnel
- 22% of police officers reported severe anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 above threshold), based on a 2021 survey of U.S. law enforcement personnel
- 13.5% of officers reported hazardous alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C threshold), based on a 2020 cross-sectional study of U.S. law enforcement
- 18% of police officers reported current smoking (tobacco use), based on a 2019 study comparing health behaviors between police and the general population
- 26% of corrections officers reported high perceived stress, based on a 2020 meta-analytic review of stress outcomes in corrections staff
- 41% of police personnel reported high job demands, based on a 2021 study applying the Job Demands-Resources framework to law enforcement stress
- 41% of corrections officers reported symptoms of anxiety, based on a 2019 meta-analysis of mental health in corrections personnel
- 48% of first responders reported exposure to multiple trauma events within a year, based on a 2018 international survey of emergency responders
High stress and trauma-related mental health symptoms affect police and public safety workers at alarmingly high rates.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates30 stats
01
23% of U.S. workers reported experiencing “high levels of stress” on the job, based on APA’s 2023 Stress in America survey (self-reported high stress at work).
02
44% of respondents in a 2022 study of U.S. police reported symptoms consistent with at least one mental health condition (mental health symptom screening prevalence).
03
15% of public-safety telecommunicators reported having PTSD symptoms in a 2020 peer-reviewed study (PTSD symptom prevalence).
04
8.9% of police officers in a meta-analysis reported clinically relevant PTSD symptoms (pooled prevalence of PTSD).
05
24% of police officers reported secondary traumatic stress symptoms in a systematic review of law enforcement and public safety (prevalence of secondary traumatic stress).
06
36% of corrections officers (public safety cohort) reported clinically significant stress in a 2019 meta-analysis (stress-related symptom prevalence).
07
27% of emergency dispatchers reported high burnout in a 2021 observational study (burnout prevalence).
08
31% of police officers in a 2020 cross-sectional study reported high perceived stress (self-reported perceived stress prevalence).
09
28% of police officers met criteria for probable major depressive disorder in a 2018 study (MDD diagnostic prevalence).
10
37% of police officers in a 2016 study reported symptoms consistent with PTSD (PTSD symptom prevalence).
11
22% of police officers reported clinically significant anger symptoms in a 2017 study (anger symptom prevalence).
12
34% of officers reported sleep problems in a 2019 study (sleep disturbance prevalence).
13
44% of police officers in a 2022 study reported poor sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index threshold prevalence).
14
20% of police officers in a 2021 study reported hazardous alcohol use (alcohol-use prevalence).
15
14% of police officers in a 2020 study reported misuse of prescription medication (medication misuse prevalence).
16
18% of law enforcement officers reported experiencing suicidal ideation in a 2017 peer-reviewed survey (ideation prevalence).
17
11% of police officers reported attempting suicide in a 2018 U.S. survey (attempt prevalence).
18
63% of police officers reported symptoms of burnout in a 2019 occupational study (burnout symptoms prevalence).
19
58% of dispatchers reported burnout in a 2016 study of public safety communications (burnout prevalence).
20
46% of police supervisors reported elevated stress levels in a 2019 survey of U.S. supervisors (supervisory stress prevalence).
21
25% of law enforcement officers reported increased stress since the COVID-19 pandemic began (pandemic-related stress change).
22
52% of police officers in a 2021 study reported stress related to public scrutiny (self-reported stressor prevalence).
23
29% of officers reported high levels of moral injury symptoms in a 2022 study (moral injury prevalence).
24
68% of police recruits in a 2018 study reported experiencing acute stress during training (training stress exposure prevalence).
25
31% of law enforcement officers reported clinically significant insomnia symptoms in a 2020 sleep study (insomnia symptom prevalence).
26
40% of officers reported anxiety as a primary mental health concern in a 2021 workforce survey (primary concern prevalence).
27
25% of U.S. law enforcement employees reported high stress at work in Gallup’s 2022 “State of the Global Workplace” data for public safety workers (self-reported stress).
28
In 2022, 173 law enforcement officers died by suicide in the United States, according to Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) (fatality count by suicide).
29
In 2021, 197 law enforcement officers died by suicide in the United States, according to Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) (fatality count by suicide).
30
In 2020, 218 law enforcement officers died by suicide in the United States, according to Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) (fatality count by suicide).
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
Prevalence data for police and public safety roles show stress and related mental health symptoms are widespread, with for example 44% of U.S. police respondents in 2022 screening positive for at least one mental health condition and burnout or PTSD symptoms also appearing in large shares across studies.
02 · Category
Workforce Well Being4 stats
01
25% of police officers reported they had experienced significant sleep problems, based on a 2019 survey of U.S. police officers
02
47% of police officers reported difficulty recovering after traumatic incidents, based on a 2018 qualitative-to-quantitative occupational study
03
39% of law enforcement personnel reported feeling physically exhausted by their work, based on a 2020 occupational health survey
04
33% of first responders reported elevated risk for insomnia (ISI above 14), based on a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis
Interpretation
Workforce Well Being Interpretation
Workforce well being is clearly strained, with roughly a third to nearly half of police and first responders reporting major health impacts such as sleep and exhaustion problems, including 33% with elevated insomnia risk and 39% physically exhausted by their work.
03 · Category
Mental Health Prevalence6 stats
01
39% of police officers reported at least one symptom consistent with a mental health problem, based on a 2019 population-based survey of UK police
02
31% of officers reported elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D above a clinical cutoff), based on a 2020 study of law enforcement personnel
03
22% of police officers reported severe anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 above threshold), based on a 2021 survey of U.S. law enforcement personnel
04
19% of officers reported high levels of psychological distress (K-10 threshold), based on a 2017 study of Australian police
05
28% of police officers reported that they had experienced a panic attack in the past year, based on a 2022 study of law enforcement mental health
06
15% of law enforcement personnel reported current use of mental health medication for a psychological condition, based on a 2020 survey report
Interpretation
Mental Health Prevalence Interpretation
Across the mental health prevalence data, substantial shares of police officers report clinically concerning symptoms, including 39% with at least one mental health symptom and 31% with elevated depressive symptoms, showing this category is marked by widespread and measurable psychological strain.
More related reading
04 · Category
Substance Use2 stats
01
13.5% of officers reported hazardous alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C threshold), based on a 2020 cross-sectional study of U.S. law enforcement
02
18% of police officers reported current smoking (tobacco use), based on a 2019 study comparing health behaviors between police and the general population
Interpretation
Substance Use Interpretation
Within the substance use angle of police stress, about 13.5% of officers reported hazardous alcohol consumption and 18% reported current smoking, suggesting that nearly one in five officers may be carrying ongoing lifestyle risks linked to heightened strain.
05 · Category
Workplace Stressors5 stats
01
26% of corrections officers reported high perceived stress, based on a 2020 meta-analytic review of stress outcomes in corrections staff
02
41% of police personnel reported high job demands, based on a 2021 study applying the Job Demands-Resources framework to law enforcement stress
03
41% of corrections officers reported symptoms of anxiety, based on a 2019 meta-analysis of mental health in corrections personnel
04
26% of officers reported high burnout in a 2022 systematic review of law enforcement burnout prevalence (pooled estimate)
05
23% of police officers reported high levels of emotional exhaustion (Maslach Burnout Inventory score threshold), based on a 2018 study
Interpretation
Workplace Stressors Interpretation
Within the workplace stressors category, the figures show that high job strain is common, with 41% of police reporting high job demands and 26% of corrections officers reporting high perceived stress, alongside burnout and anxiety symptoms that underscore how work conditions translate into real psychological strain.
06 · Category
Trauma Exposure2 stats
01
48% of first responders reported exposure to multiple trauma events within a year, based on a 2018 international survey of emergency responders
02
33% of dispatchers reported high secondary traumatic stress symptoms, based on a 2018 meta-analysis of public safety communications personnel
Interpretation
Trauma Exposure Interpretation
Within the trauma exposure category, the data shows that 48% of first responders experienced multiple trauma events in a year while 33% of dispatchers reported high secondary traumatic stress symptoms, underscoring that trauma exposure affects both those on scene and those providing communications support.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Police Stress Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/police-stress-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Police Stress Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/police-stress-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Police Stress Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/police-stress-statistics.
Sources & references
49 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+36 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)