An initiative by OSAM
OBSERVATORY
OF SWISS SALARIESOSAM
SALARIES BY OCCUPATION · SERVICES

Police officer salary
in Switzerland

A police officer offer should be compared through the duties, rank, employing authority and working arrangements. The broad salary reference does not replace official pay terms.

Average, median and salary trends in Switzerland. Refine your comparison by city, canton or region.

YOUR COMPARISON

Salary calculator: Police officer

Adjust the location, employment percentage and pay period.

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Pay
All SwitzerlandFSO : Switzerland · 2024 · 100 %

Reference median salary

6’528CHF

Standardised gross monthly salary

FSO 2024 · CH-ISCO group 54
Switzerland

Reference average salary

5’696CHF

Gross monthly equivalent

Eurostat 2022 · ISCO major group 5
All Switzerland, regardless of the selected location

Change over 10 years2014–2024

-1.2%

Median for the occupational group

Nominal change
Not adjusted for inflation
What these figures measure

The median covers the occupational group ‘Protective services workers’ (CH-ISCO 54), to which this occupation belongs. Average coverage: ISCO major group 5 — service and sales workers, Switzerland. These benchmarks cover groups broader than the individual occupation searched for. The two indicators have different populations and reference years.

OVER TIME

How has the reference salary changed?

Median for the occupational group · Switzerland · current francs

Salary over time

6’0006’2506’5006’7507’000201420162018202020226’528 CHF2024
Median salaryCHF gross / month
View the chart values
CHF gross / month · 100 % · Switzerland
YearP25MedianP75
20145’4336’6047’872
20165’1886’3777’740
20184’938*6’212*7’794*
20205’0506’5968’251
20225’0226’5498’226
20245’1386’5288’412

* Value flagged as statistically uncertain by the FSO.

FSO data retrieved: 1 November 2026. The survey is conducted every two years; intervening years are not invented. The five-year view shows the observations available within that window.

LOCATION MATTERS

Compare salaries across Swiss regions

The 26 cantons belong to the seven FSO major regions. The ranking covers this occupational group in the reference year 2024.

GEOGRAPHICAL COMPARISON

Where are median salaries highest?

Protective services workers · 2024

Ranking of the 7 FSO regions for this occupational group. The listed cantons make up each region; the amount is not a separate measurement for each canton.

  1. 1
    Zurich7’541 CHF
    Zurich
  2. 2
    Espace Mittelland7’465 CHF
    Bern · Fribourg · Jura · Neuchâtel · Solothurn
  3. 3
    Central Switzerland7’113* CHF
    Lucerne · Nidwalden · Obwalden · Schwyz · Uri · Zug
  4. 4
    Northwestern Switzerland6’965 CHF
    Aargau · Basel-Landschaft · Basel-Stadt
  5. 5
    Eastern Switzerland6’849 CHF
    Appenzell Innerrhoden · Appenzell Ausserrhoden · Glarus · Graubünden · St. Gallen · Schaffhausen · Thurgau
  6. 6
    Ticino6’190 CHF
    Ticino
  7. 7
    Lake Geneva region5’556* CHF
    Geneva · Valais · Vaud

CHF gross / month · 100%

Indicative ordering by descending median. * Statistically uncertain value: the regional order does not establish a statistically significant difference.

FSO checked on 1 November 2026
ASSESSING A JOB OFFER

Read the appointment and shift conditions together

Roles and schedules can differ between police services. Use the employer’s explanation of salary placement and allowances alongside the statistical reference.

Duties and responsibility

Clarify the operational assignment, rank and any supervisory duties. Identify how the post differs from other police functions with a similar title.

Employer placement

Ask the cantonal, municipal or other employing service to explain the proposed salary placement. Check how the offer treats relevant experience and assigned responsibilities.

Shifts and allowances

Compare nights, weekends, standby duties and rota arrangements. Separate basic pay from amounts tied to particular shifts or assignments.

Occupational reference : FSO · Swiss Standard Classification of Occupations CH-ISCO-19. Comparison guidance: SalarioStat editorial team.

CONTINUE YOUR COMPARISON
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YOUR NEXT STEP

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THE WIDER PICTURE

Salary is only a starting point

YOUR QUESTIONS

Answers to your questions

Useful explanations to interpret the figures and prepare your comparison.

What is the salary for ‘Police officer’ in Switzerland?

The benchmark shown is the median for the occupational group ‘Protective services workers’: CHF 6’528 gross per month at full-time hours in 2024. This is a group statistic, not a median isolating this occupation alone. Consider duties, responsibilities and employment conditions when comparing an offer.

How can salaries be compared by workplace location in Switzerland?

The calculator lets you select Switzerland as a whole, a major region, a canton or a city. For cities and cantons, the median displayed is that of their FSO major region. The average remains a national benchmark. Selecting a location does not turn these figures into a statistic for that municipality.

What is the difference between average and median salary?

The median divides jobs into two halves: one earns less and the other more. The average adds up earnings and divides them by the number of observations. Here, the Eurostat average (2022) covers ‘ISCO major group 5 — service and sales workers, Switzerland’; it should not be compared directly with the FSO median for group 54 (2024).

Are the figures gross or net? Is the 13th-month salary included?

Amounts are gross. The FSO median is standardised to full-time work of 40 hours a week and includes one twelfth of the 13th-month salary and annual special payments. Its annual equivalent is calculated by multiplying by 12, without adding a 13th month. Net income depends on personal deductions and is not calculated here.

Can the reference salary be used as an official police pay scale?

No. It is a statistic for a broader occupational family, not the salary schedule of a police service. The employer’s appointment terms, rank, placement and allowance rules are needed to understand an individual offer.

How are the data on this page updated?

This page uses the same official datasets as the main calculator. They are checked automatically each month; the last valid data are retained if a check fails. A recent check does not change the statistical year: surveys publish results according to their own schedules.

VERIFIABLE FIGURES

Sources and calculation method

Sources, populations and reference years remain visible for every indicator.

Full methodology
01 · FSO

Median, distribution and trends

Swiss Earnings Structure Survey. CH-ISCO group 54, all ages and sexes, public and private secondary and tertiary sectors. The primary sector is excluded. Data standardised to full-time employment; current francs.

Latest statistical year
2024
Last valid data retrieval
1 November 2026
View the FSO table
02 · EUROSTAT

Swiss reference average

Structure of Earnings Survey. Coverage: ISCO major group 5 — service and sales workers, Switzerland. Mean gross annual earnings in full-time equivalents, divided by 12 for the monthly view. This group is broader than the FSO group. Economic activities B–S: primary sector excluded.

Statistical year
2022
Last valid data retrieval
1 November 2026
View the Eurostat table

Editorial team: SalarioStat, an OSAM initiative · Occupational content reviewed on 2 November 2026. Amounts follow the calculator’s latest validated datasets.