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Durham 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.

Durham Police Department starts at $64,268 a year — about $30.90 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $2,417 below the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $3,872 below the median for municipal agencies.

Cost of livingPrices in New Hampshire run about 4% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $61,698 somewhere at average prices — $2,570 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 134 against a national average of 100, where goods are 99. 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 isDurham Police Department reported 21 sworn officers and 3 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.4 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 15,196.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.

What Durham says about itself

The Durham Police Department consists of dedicated professionals who are committed to a team environment, creatively solving problems.

What Durham does

The Durham Police Department is the municipal force for the Town of Durham in Strafford County, New Hampshire, home to the University of New Hampshire.

Where the figure comes from

Checked 25 September 2026. Town of Durham, Collective Bargaining Agreement Local 21 Durham Police, January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2026, 2026 Patrol table, Step 1: "$ 64,267.73" and "$ 30.90". — open the source document
Step 1 of the 2026 patrol table, printed by the Town as both annual and hourly; the annual is used as printed. The contract has no separate academy rate: new officers enter at Step 1 and serve probation for a year, or six months after New Hampshire certification, whichever is later. The contract runs to 31 December 2026 on a 40-hour week. Excluded: overtime and details.
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 Durham 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$33,280$68,140$163,6191549
County$35,000$63,565$132,263516
Special jurisdiction$31,200$60,204$107,95471
State$33,994$65,166$110,916145
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 $5,400 more than the middle municipal agency and about $9,900 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,300 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Durham starts at $64,268, so $3,872 below the municipal middle.

How it ranks

Nationally #1,305of 2,288 agencies Top 57% of everything we have verified
In NH #11of 17 agencies 6 pay less, 10 pay more
Hourly to start $31on a 2,080-hour year Base pay only, before overtime or any differential

Common questions

How much does a Durham Police Department officer make?

Durham Police Department starts a new officer on $64,268 a year, about $30.90 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from Town of Durham, Collective Bargaining Agreement Local 21 Durham Police, January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2026, 2026 Patrol table, Step 1: "$ 64,267.73" and "$ 30.90"..

Is that good pay for a police officer in New Hampshire?

It ranks #11 of 17 agencies we have verified in New Hampshire — 6 pay less, 10 pay more in the state — and #1,305 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $2,417 below, and against other municipal agencies $3,872 below.

Compare with another department

Put Durham 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 Durham

The agencies either side of it

Other agencies in NH

Go
#AgencyLevelSworn #Entry payVs DurhamNational
1Keene Police DepartmentMunicipal36$70,956+$6,688#883
2Portsmouth Police DepartmentMunicipal64$70,060+$5,793#933
3Manchester Police DepartmentMunicipal250$68,016+$3,748#1,052
4Concord Police DepartmentMunicipal79$67,995+$3,727#1,057
5Greenland Police DepartmentMunicipal8$67,700+$3,432#1,076
6New Hampshire State PoliceState350$66,872+$2,604#1,129
7Londonderry Police DepartmentMunicipal59$66,664+$2,396#1,145
8Jaffrey Police DepartmentMunicipal10$65,850+$1,583#1,197
9Hampton Police DepartmentMunicipal37$64,896+$628#1,273
10Derry Police DepartmentMunicipal59$64,314+$46#1,304
12Rochester Police DepartmentMunicipal59$63,960−$308#1,322
13Chesterfield Police DepartmentMunicipal4$61,776−$2,492#1,464

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