Home › Police pay › Maryland › Maryland Transit Administration Police Force
Maryland Transit Administration Police Force 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.
Maryland Transit Administration Police Force starts at $72,829 a year — about $35.01 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $4,439 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $7,831 above the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Maryland run about 5% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $69,388 somewhere at average prices — $3,441 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 121 against a national average of 100, where goods are 103. 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.
What Maryland Transit Administration says about itself
We are committed to our mission of helping everyone to feel safe and at ease when riding public transportation, with dignity and respect for all. The 183+ sworn officers and 83+ civilian employees who comprise the MTA Police Force are dedicated to providing the highest standards of law enforcement to the citizens of Maryland.
What Maryland Transit Administration does
The Maryland Transit Administration Police Force is the state transit police agency serving MTA Bus, Metro SubwayLink, Light RailLink, MARC Train and commuter-bus systems. Officers enforce laws and transit regulations, patrol state transit property, make arrests, investigate crimes and accidents, respond to emergencies and protect riders, employees and state transportation assets.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Maryland Transit Administration — Open Recruitment, MTA Police Department — open the source document
$72,829. Current official MTA recruiting page; FY 1 July 2025 CBA salary scale; verified 8 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 Maryland Transit Administration 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. Maryland Transit Administration starts at $72,829, so $7,831 above the state 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 Maryland Transit Administration Police Force officer make?
Maryland Transit Administration Police Force starts a new officer on $72,829 a year, about $35.01 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 Maryland Transit Administration — Open Recruitment, MTA Police Department.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Maryland?
It ranks #2 of 26 agencies we have verified in Maryland — 24 pay less, 1 pay more in the state — and #635 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $4,439 above, and against other state agencies $7,831 above.
Compare with another department
Put Maryland Transit Administration Police Force 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 MD
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Maryland | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockville City Police Department | Municipal | — | $75,256 | +$2,427 | #547 |
| 3 | Anne Arundel County Police Department | Municipal | 82 | $72,802 | −$27 | #636 |
| 4 | Frederick Police Department | Municipal | 151 | $71,351 | −$1,478 | #703 |
| 5 | Maryland Transportation Authority Police | State | 392 | $71,258 | −$1,571 | #710 |
| 6 | St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office | County | 167 | $71,011 | −$1,818 | #720 |
| 7 | Prince George's County Police Department | County | 1,343 | $70,257 | −$2,572 | #754 |
| 8 | Worcester County Sheriff's Office | County | 91 | $70,221 | −$2,608 | #757 |
| 9 | Wicomico County Sheriff's Office | County | 97 | $70,000 | −$2,829 | #768 |
| 10 | Gaithersburg Police Department | Municipal | 66 | $70,000 | −$2,829 | #771 |
| 11 | Maryland State Police | State | 1,434 | $69,360 | −$3,469 | #795 |
| 12 | Maryland Natural Resources Police | State | 263 | $68,673 | −$4,156 | #828 |
| 13 | Baltimore Police Department | Municipal | 2,051 | $68,359 | −$4,470 | #842 |
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
