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Kansas 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.
Kansas State University Police Department starts at $42,494 a year — about $20.43 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $25,896 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $17,701 below the median for special jurisdiction agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Kansas run about 10% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $47,180 would somewhere at average prices — $4,686 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 71 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 Kansas State University
K-State Police Officers patrol university property, enforce laws and regulations, protect citizens and property, respond to incidents, and build community relationships through preventive patrol and public-safety engagement.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 14 August 2026. Kansas State University — University Police Officer — open the source document
Current posting closes 31 December 2026 | Class: University Police Officer | Post-academy: yes — current K-State posting separately publishes Officer and Trainee hiring rates | Official K-State posting publishes $20.43/hour Officer and $19.23/hour Trainee.
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 Kansas 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. Kansas State University starts at $42,494, so $17,701 below the special jurisdiction middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Kansas State University Police Department officer make?
Kansas State University Police Department starts a new officer on $42,494 a year, about $20.43 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 Kansas State University — University Police Officer.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Kansas?
It ranks #13 of 13 agencies we have verified in Kansas — 0 pay less, 12 pay more in the state — and #1,647 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $25,896 below, and against other special jurisdiction agencies $17,701 below.
Compare with another department
Put Kansas 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 KS
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Kansas | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wichita Police Department | Municipal | 663 | $70,970 | +$28,475 | #724 |
| 2 | Kansas Highway Patrol | State | 467 | $68,182 | +$25,688 | #851 |
| 3 | Lenexa Police Department | Municipal | 93 | $66,013 | +$23,519 | #965 |
| 4 | Olathe Police Department | Municipal | 210 | $65,050 | +$22,556 | #1,018 |
| 5 | University of Kansas Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 28 | $60,180 | +$17,686 | #1,229 |
| 6 | Saline County Sheriff's Office | County | 41 | $57,866 | +$15,371 | #1,333 |
| 7 | Salina Police Department | Municipal | 71 | $57,741 | +$15,247 | #1,343 |
| 8 | Garden City Police Department | Municipal | 61 | $56,451 | +$13,957 | #1,385 |
| 9 | Junction City Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $53,747 | +$11,253 | #1,480 |
| 10 | Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks — Law Enforcement Division | State | — | $53,414 | +$10,920 | #1,488 |
| 11 | Wichita State University Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 28 | $49,254 | +$6,760 | #1,583 |
| 12 | Arkansas City Police Department | Municipal | 23 | $44,491 | +$1,997 | #1,636 |
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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