Home › Police pay › Virginia › James City County Police Department
James City County 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.
James City County Police Department starts at $59,475 a year — about $28.59 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $8,915 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $5,899 below the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC run about 2% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $60,725 would somewhere at average prices — $1,250 more than the headline figure. That average hides a wide spread: utilities at 90, where goods are 97. 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 isJames City County Police Department reported 101 sworn officers and 13 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 James City County says about itself
Our mission is to perform duties and fulfill the responsibilities of enforcing the law, preserving the peace, and providing police services to improve the quality of life for all citizens living in our jurisdiction. Our actions are driven by a philosophy of community policing.
What James City County does
James City County Police provides police services throughout the county including patrol, investigations, traffic enforcement, community services, crime prevention and outreach. Officers enforce state and local laws, respond to calls, investigate crimes and crashes, make arrests and protect life and property
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. James City County current Police Officer I/II/III recruitment — open the source document
Their source is effective 10 August 2026.
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 James City County 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. James City County starts at $59,475, so $5,899 below the county middle.
BlueShifts. Plan Your Year. Own Your Time.
The shift calendar built for your rotation, off-duty work, and life on and off the clock.
Save your shift schedule once and BlueShifts fills the rest of the year in.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a James City County Police Department officer make?
James City County Police Department starts a new officer on $59,475 a year, about $28.59 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 James City County current Police Officer I/II/III recruitment.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Virginia?
It ranks #20 of 36 agencies we have verified in Virginia — 16 pay less, 19 pay more in the state — and #1,270 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $8,915 below, and against other county agencies $5,899 below.
Compare with another department
Put James City County 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 VA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs James | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arlington County Police Department | County | 299 | $90,012 | +$30,537 | #215 |
| 2 | Falls Church Police Department | Municipal | 32 | $76,400 | +$16,925 | #496 |
| 3 | Alexandria Police Department | Municipal | 264 | $75,000 | +$15,525 | #560 |
| 4 | Fairfax County Police Department | County | 1,390 | $74,035 | +$14,560 | #593 |
| 5 | Prince William County Police Department | County | 656 | $74,000 | +$14,525 | #595 |
| 6 | Loudoun County Sheriff's Office | County | 648 | $70,955 | +$11,480 | #727 |
| 7 | Leesburg Police Department | Municipal | 74 | $68,500 | +$9,025 | #834 |
| 8 | Prince William County Sheriff's Office | County | 656 | $66,596 | +$7,121 | #941 |
| 9 | Henrico County Police Division | County | 628 | $65,959 | +$6,484 | #968 |
| 10 | Fairfax County Sheriff's Office | County | 433 | $64,997 | +$5,522 | #1,025 |
| 11 | Richmond Police Department | Municipal | 608 | $63,360 | +$3,885 | #1,091 |
| 12 | Hanover County Sheriff's Office | County | 247 | $63,345 | +$3,870 | #1,093 |
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.
Scan to install
