Is Iowa a Good State to Be a Police Officer in 2024?

I believe that not just anyone can thrive in the career of law enforcement. It takes someone who understands they are nearly always in the public eye. Their job is to keep us safe, and that in turn makes their job a danger nearly every day. There are over 5,000 police officers in the state of Iowa. But is the Hawkeye state a good place to be in law enforcement?

The folks over at Wallet Hub took a look at over 30 different factors and compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia to find out which are the best states to pursue a career in law enforcement. The study looked at a variety of factors including compensation, work environment, and corruption. So which state is the BEST for police officers?

That honor belongs to California. They ranked high in compensation and training requirements for officers. Illinois and Connecticut rounded out the top three states. So what about Iowa?

According to the Wallet Hub study, Iowa ranked 30th in the nation. It ranked low in opportunity and lower in training requirements for law enforcement. Iowa also ranked near the bottom in law enforcement officers per capita.

The findings of the survey certainly don't mean there aren't fantastic police officers all across the state of Iowa. What it does say is that there is more we can do to not only make the field more attractive but also to make sure our officers are safer in the field. It's the least we can do.