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Appalachian State University 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.
Appalachian State University Police Department starts at $64,084 a year — about $30.81 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $4,306 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $3,889 above the median for special jurisdiction agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in North Carolina run about 6% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $67,939 would somewhere at average prices — $3,855 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 81 against a national average of 100, where goods are 97. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro 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 isAppalachian State University Police Department reported 36 sworn officers and 11 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025.No rate is shown: this agency does not police a single population the FBI publishes a figure for. 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.
What Appalachian State University says about itself
The Appalachian State University Police Department supports the university's academic mission by working in partnership with the campus community to prevent crime, solve problems and improve the quality of life on campus.
What Appalachian State University does
Appalachian State's commissioned police officers carry out patrol, response, law enforcement, investigations, arrests and campus public-safety functions.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $64,084 annual published hiring-range minimum. Current July 17, 2026 official Appalachian State — open the source document
July 17, 2026. $64,084 annual published hiring-range minimum. Current July 17, 2026 official Appalachian State Police Officer recruitment publishes a suggested salary range of $64,084-$82,079. The minimum of the current Police Officer hiring range is retained; compensation may vary with edu
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.
How this level compares
Where Appalachian State University sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $35,006 | $71,287 | $163,619 | 1046 |
| County | $36,492 | $65,374 | $132,263 | 416 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,195 | $107,954 | 69 |
| State | $33,994 | $64,998 | $102,692 | 143 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
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. Appalachian State University starts at $64,084, so $3,889 above the special jurisdiction middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Appalachian State University Police Department officer make?
Appalachian State University Police Department starts a new officer on $64,084 a year, about $30.81 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 $64,084 annual published hiring-range minimum. Current July 17, 2026 official Appalachian State.
Is that good pay for a police officer in North Carolina?
It ranks #4 of 40 agencies we have verified in North Carolina — 36 pay less, 3 pay more in the state — and #1,057 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $4,306 below, and against other special jurisdiction agencies $3,889 above.
Compare with another department
Put Appalachian State University 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.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in NC
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Appalachian | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Knightdale Police Department | Municipal | 45 | $67,363 | +$3,279 | #902 |
| 2 | Cary Police Department | Municipal | 194 | $65,104 | +$1,020 | #1,012 |
| 3 | Wake Forest Police Department | Municipal | 96 | $65,093 | +$1,009 | #1,013 |
| 5 | North Carolina State Highway Patrol | State | — | $63,250 | −$834 | #1,100 |
| 6 | Johnston County Sheriff's Office | County | 124 | $62,213 | −$1,871 | #1,147 |
| 7 | Chapel Hill Police Department | Municipal | 82 | $61,451 | −$2,633 | #1,176 |
| 8 | Raleigh Police Department | Municipal | 713 | $61,417 | −$2,667 | #1,177 |
| 9 | Duke University Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 57 | $60,195 | −$3,889 | #1,227 |
| 10 | Greensboro Police Department | Municipal | 582 | $59,509 | −$4,575 | #1,268 |
| 11 | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department | Municipal | 1,702 | $59,502 | −$4,582 | #1,269 |
| 12 | Rolesville Police Department | Municipal | 25 | $59,304 | −$4,780 | #1,274 |
| 13 | Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office | County | 238 | $58,225 | −$5,859 | #1,309 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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