Life for a Cop: Georgia ranks near bottom

National Police Week kicks off on May 14 and while it is without a doubt a tough time to be a police officer, Georgia seems to offer even less desirable conditions.

The personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2017’s Best & Worst States to Be a Police Officer.

Here is how Georgia ranked:

47th – Median Income for Law-Enforcement Officers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
20th – Median Income Growth for Law-Enforcement Officers (officers, deputies, investigators, and detectives)
41st – Police Deaths per 1,000 Officers (officers, deputies, investigators, and detectives)

The 10 best states to be a cop were determined to be:
1. North Dakota
2. Connecticut
3. New York
4. Illinois
5. Minnesota
6. New Hampshire
7. New Jersey
8. Texas
9. Maine
10. South Dakota

The bottom of the barrel – the absolute  worst state to be a police officer was determined to be Louisiana.

But what about their services? Georgia’s rankings on police work:
36th – % of Homicide Cases Solved
40th – State & Local Police-Protection Expenses per Capita
43rd – Property-Crime Rate

To serve and protect remains a necessary, and often thankless, public service, but it’s a calling that more than 900,000 Americans have answered.

For more on the study and the methodology, click here.