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Anchorage Police Department entry pay

What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.

Anchorage Police Department starts at $85,405 a year — about $41.06 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $17,015 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $14,141 above the median for municipal agencies.

Cost of livingPrices in Anchorage, AK run about 5% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $81,014 somewhere at average prices — $4,391 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 112 against a national average of 100, where goods are 107. Based on price levels for this metropolitan area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.

How big the department isAnchorage Police Department reported 369 sworn officers and 169 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 287,385.A rate is only meaningful for a city department, where the population served is the city’s own. Reporting to the FBI is voluntary, so a count can reflect a partial return as easily as a small agency, and the FBI asks that agencies not be compared on staffing. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Full-time Law Enforcement Employees, 2025.

About Anchorage

Anchorage Police Department states that its vision is to create an environment where everybody matters and its mission is to protect and serve the community in the most professional and compassionate manner possible. Its official values emphasize gratitude and the importance of employees, their support systems and the community. Department policies are framed around carrying out that mission while evolving with society and technology to best serve and protect Anchorage

Where the figure comes from

Checked 8 August 2026. Anchorage Police Department official recruiting site plus Municipality of Anchorage 2026 — open the source document
Current APD recruiting page lists entry-level starting pay at $41.06/hour. The municipal recruit posting states hires advance to sworn Police Officer after successful academy completion, while APD's step progression is based on hire date rather than academy graduation. Therefore the immediate post-academy base remains $41.06/hour = $85,404.80 annually
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more than this.

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How this level compares

Where Anchorage sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.

LevelLowestMedianHighestAgencies
Municipal$35,006$71,287$163,6191046
County$36,492$65,374$132,263416
Special jurisdiction$31,200$60,195$107,95469
State$33,994$64,998$102,692143
Federal$70,477$73,502$86,5305
Territory$16,640$28,236$43,3549
What this shows

Federal agencies pay the most to start

The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $2,200 more than the middle municipal agency and about $8,100 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,500 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Anchorage starts at $85,405, so $14,118 above the municipal middle.

How it ranks

Nationally #284of 1,681 agencies Top 17% of everything we have verified
In AK #3of 11 agencies 8 pay less, 2 pay more
Hourly to start $41on a 2,080-hour year Base pay only, before overtime or any differential

Common questions

How much does a Anchorage Police Department officer make?

Anchorage Police Department starts a new officer on $85,405 a year, about $41.06 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from Anchorage Police Department official recruiting site plus Municipality of Anchorage 2026.

Is that good pay for a police officer in Alaska?

It ranks #3 of 11 agencies we have verified in Alaska — 8 pay less, 2 pay more in the state — and #284 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $17,015 above, and against other municipal agencies $14,141 above.

Compare with another department

Put Anchorage Police Department side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.

Compare Anchorage

The agencies either side of it

Other agencies in AK

Go
#AgencyLevelSworn #Entry payVs AnchorageNational
1Alaska State TroopersState363$97,365+$11,960#121
2North Slope Borough Police DepartmentCounty47$94,120+$8,715#153
4Juneau Police DepartmentMunicipal41$84,490−$915#299
5Wasilla Police DepartmentMunicipal29$80,558−$4,846#392
6Ketchikan Police DepartmentMunicipal21$79,726−$5,678#415
7Kenai Police DepartmentMunicipal17$79,414−$5,990#422
8Petersburg Borough Police DepartmentMunicipal$71,406−$13,998#701
9Bristol Bay Borough Police DepartmentCounty4$68,390−$17,015#841
10Haines Borough Police DepartmentMunicipal$66,768−$18,637#930
11Palmer Police DepartmentMunicipal17$60,840−$24,565#1,202

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