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Arkansas State Police 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.
Arkansas State Police starts at $67,675 a year — about $32.54 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $715 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $2,677 above the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Arkansas run about 13% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $77,844 would somewhere at average prices — $10,169 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 58 against a national average of 100, where goods are 94. 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.
About Arkansas State
The Arkansas State Police, formed in 1935, is the state's primary statewide law-enforcement agency. Its Highway Patrol Division is organised into twelve regional troops each commanded by a captain, and its Criminal Investigation Division into six regional companies each commanded by a lieutenant.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Arkansas Department of Public Safety — ASP Salary/Benefits — open the source document
$67,675. July 1, 2025
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 Arkansas State 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. Arkansas State starts at $67,675, so $2,677 above the state middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Arkansas State Police officer make?
Arkansas State Police starts a new officer on $67,675 a year, about $32.54 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 Arkansas Department of Public Safety — ASP Salary/Benefits.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Arkansas?
It ranks #1 of 9 agencies we have verified in Arkansas — the highest in the state in the state — and #880 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $715 below, and against other state agencies $2,677 above.
Compare with another department
Put Arkansas State Police 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 AR
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Arkansas | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Rogers Police Department | Municipal | 140 | $61,363 | −$6,312 | #1,180 |
| 3 | Little Rock Police Department | Municipal | 535 | $57,928 | −$9,747 | #1,326 |
| 4 | Fayetteville Police Department | Municipal | 152 | $57,699 | −$9,976 | #1,347 |
| 5 | North Little Rock Police Department | Municipal | 175 | $55,068 | −$12,607 | #1,428 |
| 6 | Conway Police Department | Municipal | 127 | $50,924 | −$16,751 | #1,535 |
| 7 | Fort Smith Police Department | Municipal | 155 | $50,003 | −$17,672 | #1,563 |
| 8 | Arkansas Game and Fish Commission — Enforcement Division | State | — | $50,000 | −$17,675 | #1,565 |
| 9 | Faulkner County Sheriff's Office | County | 54 | $48,357 | −$19,318 | #1,593 |
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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