Experts claim Illinois is the 2nd BEST State to be a Cop

Illinois ranks only behind one other state on the list of the Best States to Be a Police Officer in 2024, why is Illinois so high on the list? Here are the details...

According to a new ranking from WalletHub, Illinois is the second-best state to be a cop in 2024. Illinois ranks behind only California and it ranks just ahead of Connecticut, Washington DC, Colorado, and Maryland. So what exactly makes Illinois the second best?

Illinois ranks top 7 in all three major categories that WalletHub uses to rank the states. The Land of Lincoln finishes 4th in the Opportunity & Competition category, 6th in Training Requirments, and 7th in Job Hazards & Protections. Meanwhile, Illinois is ranked #1 for the Highest Median Income for police officers at nearly $98,000. In the ranking, they say "The Prairie State also requires officers to continue their professional education even after they have completed basic training and field training. They must complete an additional 40 hours of training annually (the second-most in the country)" To see the complete list for yourself, click here!

How does Illinois compare to its neighbors?

Illinois does stand out compared to its border states, Missouri is ranked 20th, Indiana ranks 23rd, Iowa ranks 30th, Wisconsin ranks 38th, and Kentucky ranks a poor 44th. There is something else that is interesting to me about this overall ranking, the WORST states to be a police officer in this year according to this ranking are Hawaii and Alaska...What is going on there? Is it just because they are so far away from the continental US? If you think you know why, comment away!