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Knightdale 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.

Knightdale Police Department starts at $67,363 a year — about $32.39 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $1,027 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $3,901 below the median for municipal agencies.

Cost of livingPrices in North Carolina run about 6% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $71,415 would somewhere at average prices — $4,052 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 81 against a national average of 100, where goods are 97. 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 isKnightdale Police Department reported 45 sworn officers and 4 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 2.0 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 22,474.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 Knightdale says about itself

Ensuring the Safety and Security of All Who Live, Work and Visit the Town of Knightdale through Professional Policing and Community Partnerships.

What Knightdale does

Knightdale Police Officers perform basic municipal law-enforcement work associated with certified Police Officer service, protecting life and property, enforcing laws, responding to calls and medical alarms and serving the community

Where the figure comes from

Checked 8 August 2026. Town of Knightdale official 2026 — open the source document
Opened 6 January 2026; official entry-level Police Officer rate $67,363 annually. Senior/Master Officer rates and experience-based recruitment incentives 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 Knightdale 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$35,006$71,287$163,6191046
County$36,492$65,374$132,263416
Special jurisdiction$31,200$60,195$107,95469
State$33,994$64,998$102,692143
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 $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. Knightdale starts at $67,363, so $3,924 below the municipal middle.

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How it ranks

Nationally #902of 1,681 agencies Top 54% of everything we have verified
In NC #1of 40 agencies The highest in the state
Hourly to start $32on a 2,080-hour year Base pay only, before overtime or any differential

Common questions

How much does a Knightdale Police Department officer make?

Knightdale Police Department starts a new officer on $67,363 a year, about $32.39 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 Knightdale official 2026.

Is that good pay for a police officer in North Carolina?

It ranks #1 of 40 agencies we have verified in North Carolina — the highest in the state in the state — and #902 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $1,027 below, and against other municipal agencies $3,901 below.

Compare with another department

Put Knightdale 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 Knightdale

The agencies either side of it

Other agencies in NC

Go
#AgencyLevelSworn #Entry payVs KnightdaleNational
2Cary Police DepartmentMunicipal194$65,104−$2,259#1,012
3Wake Forest Police DepartmentMunicipal96$65,093−$2,270#1,013
4Appalachian State University Police DepartmentSpecial jurisdiction36$64,084−$3,279#1,057
5North Carolina State Highway PatrolState$63,250−$4,113#1,100
6Johnston County Sheriff's OfficeCounty124$62,213−$5,150#1,147
7Chapel Hill Police DepartmentMunicipal82$61,451−$5,912#1,176
8Raleigh Police DepartmentMunicipal713$61,417−$5,946#1,177
9Duke University Police DepartmentSpecial jurisdiction57$60,195−$7,168#1,227
10Greensboro Police DepartmentMunicipal582$59,509−$7,854#1,268
11Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police DepartmentMunicipal1,702 / 1,936$59,502−$7,861#1,269
12Rolesville Police DepartmentMunicipal25$59,304−$8,059#1,274
13Cabarrus County Sheriff's OfficeCounty238$58,225−$9,138#1,309

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