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Lake Wales 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.
Lake Wales Police Department starts at $49,468 a year — about $23.78 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $17,217 below the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $18,672 below the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Florida run about 3% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $47,835 somewhere at average prices — $1,633 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 122 against a national average of 100, where goods are 98. 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 isLake Wales Police Department reported 48 sworn officers and 9 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 2.6 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 18,200.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 Lake Wales says about itself
The mission of the Lake Wales Police Department is to serve our community with integrity, compassion, and professionalism. We are dedicated to preventing crime, upholding the law, and fostering trust through meaningful partnerships. By working collaboratively with residents, businesses, and local organizations, we strive to create a safer, stronger Lake Wales and enhance the quality of life for all who live, work, and visit here.
What Lake Wales does
The Lake Wales Police Department is the municipal force for Lake Wales in Polk County. It was established in 1917 after the city's charter of incorporation, beginning with a single Town Marshal for about 250 residents, and today has 47 sworn officers including four K-9 units and 10 civilian staff. It is organised into Operations, Investigations and Support Services divisions, with patrol running four shifts - A, B, C and D - each under its own sergeant.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 30 August 2026. Entry minimum salary, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Agency Profile Report, Police Department Salary 2025. — open the source document
Their source is effective 1 January 2025.
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 Lake Wales 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 | $33,280 | $68,140 | $163,619 | 1549 |
| County | $35,000 | $63,565 | $132,263 | 516 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,204 | $107,954 | 71 |
| State | $33,994 | $65,166 | $110,916 | 145 |
| 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 $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. Lake Wales starts at $49,468, so $18,672 below the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Lake Wales Police Department officer make?
Lake Wales Police Department starts a new officer on $49,468 a year, about $23.78 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 Entry minimum salary, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Agency Profile Report, Police Department Salary 2025..
Is that good pay for a police officer in Florida?
It ranks #257 of 303 agencies we have verified in Florida — 46 pay less, 256 pay more in the state — and #2,106 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $17,217 below, and against other municipal agencies $18,672 below.
Compare with another department
Put Lake Wales 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 FL
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Lake | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boca Raton Police Services Department | Municipal | 195 | $91,007 | +$41,539 | #244 |
| 2 | Fort Lauderdale Police Department | Municipal | 565 | $81,723 | +$32,255 | #433 |
| 3 | Plantation Police Department | Municipal | 164 | $81,000 | +$31,532 | #459 |
| 4 | Hillsboro Beach Police Department | Municipal | 15 | $80,954 | +$31,486 | #461 |
| 5 | Pinecrest Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $80,912 | +$31,444 | #464 |
| 6 | Sunny Isles Beach Police Department | Municipal | 65 | $80,000 | +$30,532 | #496 |
| 7 | Indian Creek Village Public Safety Department | Municipal | 10 | $79,850 | +$30,382 | #500 |
| 8 | Sunrise Police Department | Municipal | 190 | $79,071 | +$29,603 | #520 |
| 9 | Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,720 | $78,828 | +$29,360 | #526 |
| 10 | Aventura Police Department | Municipal | 91 | $78,556 | +$29,088 | #536 |
| 11 | Longboat Key Police Department | Municipal | 19 | $78,430 | +$28,962 | #543 |
| 12 | Manalapan Police Department | Municipal | 13 | $78,280 | +$28,812 | #549 |
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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