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Based largely on compensation and training, California topped a WalletHub study as the best place to be a police officer in the United States.

The average monthly starting salary of a police officer in California is a little over $5,500, the fourth-highest wage in the country. Plus, the median annual wage for police and sheriff’s patrol officers is over $84,100 (adjusted for the cost of living) – also the third-highest nationwide, according to the study.

The Golden State requires rigorous training for officers, with 560 hours of field training required, the second-highest amount in the country.

To top things off, California requires officers to take de-escalation training, which reduces the chances of fatalities for both officers and suspects.

In order to determine the best states in which to pursue a law-enforcement career, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 30 key metrics. The data set ranges from the median income for law-enforcement officers to police deaths per 1,000 officers to state and local spending on police.

Best States to Be a Cop:

Overall Rank StateTotal Score Opportunity & Competition Rank Law Enforcement Training Requirements Rank Job Hazards & Protections Rank 
1California61.875212
2Illinois60.38467
3Connecticut60.083614
4District of Columbia56.471348
5Colorado56.146826
6Maryland54.814275
7Ohio53.6229525
8Minnesota53.2315183
9Washington51.69141320
10Massachusetts51.27261214
11Tennessee50.9612445
12New York50.112402
12Texas50.1131144
14Rhode Island49.1132218
15Georgia48.64211032
16South Dakota48.0325935
17Maine47.40441710
18Pennsylvania46.04172623
19Oklahoma45.7781546
20Missouri45.56201930
21Utah44.6745256
22Virginia44.62162821
23Indiana44.53391431
24Wyoming43.65132239
25Michigan43.63222333
26North Carolina43.59302719
27Delaware43.57412415
28New Jersey43.48193911
29Nebraska42.4494613
30Iowa42.42283018
31New Hampshire42.2037441
32Florida42.0024429
33Arizona41.81103228
34Idaho41.28492029
35Vermont39.65403816
36North Dakota39.45184917
37New Mexico39.3671651
38Wisconsin37.90483124
39Kansas37.76333434
40South Carolina37.67273337
41Montana36.66313536
42Louisiana34.86114347
43Mississippi34.62353743
44Kentucky34.55462938
45Oregon34.50504127
46Alabama33.66234741
47West Virginia33.26344540
48Arkansas32.05433650
49Nevada31.43384842
50Hawaii30.27475122
51Alaska26.20515049

New York and Texas tied for 12th with Illinois finishing 2nd among states with the nation’s largest metropolises.