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Policy Officer Salary in the United States

How much does a Policy Officer make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Policy Officer in the United States is $35,579 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $17.

However, a Policy Officer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $40,663
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $33,905 to $38,240
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $32,381
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Policy Officer Salaries

A Policy Officer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Policy Officer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Policy Officer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $35,262
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $35,461
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $36,048
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $36,166
  • Expert (over 8 years): $36,244
Levels Salary
Entry Level Policy Officer$35,262
Intermediate Level Policy Officer$35,461
Senior Level Policy Officer$36,048
Specialist Level Policy Officer$36,166
Expert Level Policy Officer$36,244
View as Graph

How Do Policy Officer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Policy Officers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $39,393.
  • California: $39,243.
  • Massachusetts: $38,720.

Top Paying Cities for Policy Officers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $44,875
  • San Francisco: $44,384
  • Oakland: $43,449

What Skills Can Increase a Policy Officer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 17.78% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Data Analysis (Mentioned in 1.63% Job Postings): Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's business world, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific and helping businesses operate more effectively. Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive purposes, while business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation, focusing mainly on business information. In statistical applications, data analysis can be divided into descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA focuses on discovering new features in the data while CDA focuses on confirming or falsifying existing hypotheses. Predictive analytics focuses on application of statistical models for predictive forecasting or classification, while text analytics applies statistical, linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from textual sources, a species of unstructured data. All of the above are varieties of data analysis.
  • SOP (Mentioned in 1.09% Job Postings): SOP is A standard operating procedure is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out routine operations.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 17.78%
Data Analysis 1.63%
SOP 1.09%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Policy Officer's salary.

  • Cybersecurity: Can increase your salary by up to 38%.
  • Time Management: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
  • Commitment: Can increase your salary by up to 18%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Cybersecurity $49,098
38%
Time Management $42,694
20%
Commitment $41,983
18%
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Policy Officer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Policy Officer roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 100% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Insurance, offers compensation 50% above the average. Conversely, Policy Officer positions in Business Services typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Policy Officer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Policy Officer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Insurance$53,368$26.050%

How Education impacts a Policy Officer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Policy Officers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Policy Officer with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $32,183 and $34,678).

Policy Officer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Policy Officer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 47.4%
High School 47.4%
Associates 21.1%
Bachelors 31.6%
Masters 0.0%
Doctorate 0.0%
View as Graph

Policy Officer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Policy Officer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$33,905
Average $35,579/year
$38,240
$2,825
Average $2,965/month
$3,187
$652
Average $684/week
$735
$16
Average $17/hour
$18
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $38,240 $3,187 $735 $18
Average $35,579 $2,965 $684 $17
25th Percentile $33,905 $2,825 $652 $16

Most common benefits for Policy Officer

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Policy Officer

Here are companies hiring for Policy Officer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Policy Officer

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Policy Officer?

The Insurance industry offers the highest average compensation for Policy Officer roles, with salaries approximately 50% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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