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Indianapolis Metropolitan 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.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department starts at $74,459 a year — about $35.80 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $6,069 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $3,195 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Indiana run about 7% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $79,781 would somewhere at average prices — $5,322 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 74 against a national average of 100, where goods are 96. 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.
What Indianapolis Metropolitan says about itself
We are dedicated to upholding the highest professional standards while serving the community in which we work and live. We are committed to the enforcement of laws to protect life and property, while also respecting individual rights, human dignity, and community values.
What Indianapolis Metropolitan does
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Patrol Officers patrol assigned areas by vehicle and on foot, maintain visible police presence, prevent crime, respond to suspicious activity and calls for service, enforce laws and participate in police-community relations. Officers work with residents and businesses, provide safety information and assist the public while performing general municipal law-enforcement duties
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. City of Indianapolis and Marion County official Patrol Officer - 38 — open the source document
Opened 6 April 2026; official recruit-class Patrol Officer salary $74,459 annually. The posting is for the regular recruit class, not lateral applicants. Lateral-only pay and other add-ons are excluded
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 Indianapolis Metropolitan 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. Indianapolis Metropolitan starts at $74,459, so $3,172 above the municipal middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer make?
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department starts a new officer on $74,459 a year, about $35.80 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 City of Indianapolis and Marion County official Patrol Officer - 38.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Indiana?
It ranks #5 of 39 agencies we have verified in Indiana — 34 pay less, 4 pay more in the state — and #581 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $6,069 above, and against other municipal agencies $3,195 above.
Compare with another department
Put Indianapolis Metropolitan 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 IN
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Indianapolis | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bloomington Police Department | Municipal | 95 | $81,234 | +$6,775 | #372 |
| 2 | MSD Wayne Township School Police Department | Special jurisdiction | — | $77,700 | +$3,241 | #464 |
| 3 | Columbus Police Department | Municipal | 88 | $74,984 | +$525 | #562 |
| 4 | Fishers Police Department | Municipal | 124 | $74,560 | +$101 | #575 |
| 6 | Lafayette Police Department | Municipal | 142 | $72,539 | −$1,920 | #646 |
| 7 | West Lafayette Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $72,391 | −$2,068 | #649 |
| 8 | Purdue University Police Department | Special jurisdiction | — | $72,137 | −$2,322 | #659 |
| 9 | Carmel Police Department | Municipal | 147 | $72,000 | −$2,459 | #667 |
| 10 | Indiana State Police | State | 1,171 | $70,000 | −$4,459 | #769 |
| 11 | Indiana Gaming Commission — Enforcement Division | State | — | $70,000 | −$4,459 | #770 |
| 12 | Hamilton County Sheriff's Office | County | 62 | $70,000 | −$4,459 | #775 |
| 13 | Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office | County | 67 | $68,339 | −$6,120 | #845 |
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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