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Lancaster 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.
Lancaster Police Department starts at $78,474 a year — about $37.73 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $11,789 above the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $10,334 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Texas run about 3% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $80,853 would somewhere at average prices — $2,380 more than the headline figure. That average hides a wide spread: utilities at 88, 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 isLancaster Police Department reported 53 sworn officers and 6 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 40,640.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 Lancaster says about itself
We, the members of the Lancaster Police Department, as proud representatives of our community, are committed to protect the lives, property, and Constitutional rights of all residents and visitors of our community by providing professional law enforcement and public safety services. Our mission is to work together with our members of the community to foster a safe environment and enhance the quality of life for all of our citizens, while building trust and PRIDE in our city.
What Lancaster does
Lancaster Police is the municipal police department, covering patrol, investigations, traffic and commercial-vehicle enforcement, and community and media relations.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $78,473.55 annual certified Police Officer entry rate. Current official FY2025-26 adopted Police Civil Service salary plan separates non-certified Police Officer pay of $52,497. — open the source document
Adopted effective October 1, 2025. $78,473.55 annual certified Police Officer entry rate. Current official FY2025-26 adopted Police Civil Service salary plan separates non-certified Police Officer pay of $52,497.12 from Certified entry pay of $78,473.55. The certified sworn entry rate is retained.
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 Lancaster 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. Lancaster starts at $78,474, so $10,334 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Lancaster Police Department officer make?
Lancaster Police Department starts a new officer on $78,474 a year, about $37.73 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 $78,473.55 annual certified Police Officer entry rate. Current official FY2025-26 adopted Police Civil Service salary plan separates non-certified Police Officer pay of $52,497..
Is that good pay for a police officer in Texas?
It ranks #42 of 151 agencies we have verified in Texas — 109 pay less, 41 pay more in the state — and #539 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $11,789 above, and against other municipal agencies $10,334 above.
Compare with another department
Put Lancaster 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 TX
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Lancaster | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allen Police Department | Municipal | 153 | $91,106 | +$12,633 | #241 |
| 2 | Frisco Police Department | Municipal | 270 | $90,750 | +$12,276 | #252 |
| 3 | Plano Police Department | Municipal | 400 | $90,729 | +$12,255 | #253 |
| 4 | Grand Prairie Police Department | Municipal | 287 | $90,000 | +$11,526 | #270 |
| 5 | Hurst Police Department | Municipal | 61 | $87,048 | +$8,574 | #322 |
| 6 | Lewisville Police Department | Municipal | 181 | $86,268 | +$7,794 | #335 |
| 7 | Coppell Police Department | Municipal | 60 | $84,968 | +$6,494 | #355 |
| 8 | Rockwall Police Department | Municipal | 95 | $84,448 | +$5,974 | #362 |
| 9 | Farmers Branch Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $84,440 | +$5,966 | #363 |
| 10 | The Colony Police Department | Municipal | 86 | $84,082 | +$5,608 | #371 |
| 11 | Baytown Police Department | Municipal | 172 | $84,049 | +$5,575 | #372 |
| 12 | McKinney Police Department | Municipal | 248 | $83,992 | +$5,519 | #374 |
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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