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McKenzie County Sheriff's Office 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.
McKenzie County Sheriff's Office starts at $75,785 a year — about $36.44 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $9,100 above the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $12,225 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in North Dakota run about 11% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $85,191 would somewhere at average prices — $9,406 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 71 against a national average of 100, where goods are 96. 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 isMcKenzie County Sheriff's Office reported 39 sworn officers and 21 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025.No rate is shown: this agency does not police a single population the FBI publishes a figure for. 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.
About McKenzie County
The McKenzie County Sheriff's Office polices McKenzie County in the heart of the North Dakota Bakken from 1201 12th Street SE in Watford City. Deputies patrol assigned districts, respond to emergency calls, investigate crimes and accidents, serve warrants and civil process, and are assigned across Patrol, Investigations and Administration as well as to school resource, court security, 24/7 sobriety compliance and truck enforcement duties. The Office provides a take-home patrol vehicle, uniforms and equipment.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 September 2026. McKenzie County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Sheriff Position page on the Office's own website — open the source document
Read 8 September 2026 from the Sheriff's Office's own careers page: 'Starting salary for applicants is $34.70 per hour ($75,785.00 annually), depending on experience.' The annual figure is the Office's own, and it implies a 2,184-hour year rather than 2,080, consistent with the twelve-hour tours its divisions work. The Office states the measure in its own requirements - 'No prior law enforcement experience or training is required however experience is preferred' and 'ND POST licensed or eligible for license' - so this is an uncertified starting rate and the highest in North Dakota so far, which is the Bakken labor market. A deputy may be assigned to Patrol, School Resource Officer, Court Security, 24/7 Compliance or Truck Enforcement.
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 McKenzie County 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. McKenzie County starts at $75,785, so $12,220 above the county middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a McKenzie County Sheriff's Office officer make?
McKenzie County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $75,785 a year, about $36.44 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 McKenzie County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Sheriff Position page on the Office's own website.
Is that good pay for a police officer in North Dakota?
It ranks #1 of 12 agencies we have verified in North Dakota — the highest in the state in the state — and #643 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $9,100 above, and against other county agencies $12,225 above.
Compare with another department
Put McKenzie County Sheriff's Office 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 ND
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs McKenzie | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | North Dakota Highway Patrol | State | 165 | $73,332 | −$2,453 | #743 |
| 3 | Grand Forks Police Department | Municipal | 91 | $69,326 | −$6,459 | #971 |
| 4 | Fargo Police Department | Municipal | 185 | $68,494 | −$7,291 | #1,019 |
| 5 | North Dakota Game and Fish Department — Enforcement Division | State | — | $65,808 | −$9,977 | #1,200 |
| 6 | Williston Police Department | Municipal | 64 | $65,520 | −$10,265 | #1,219 |
| 7 | West Fargo Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $64,376 | −$11,409 | #1,295 |
| 8 | Bismarck Police Department | Municipal | 128 | $63,123 | −$12,662 | #1,375 |
| 9 | Richland County Sheriff's Office | County | 18 | $62,213 | −$13,572 | #1,437 |
| 10 | Mountrail County Sheriff's Office | County | 11 | $62,100 | −$13,685 | #1,441 |
| 11 | Dickinson Police Department | Municipal | 44 | $60,345 | −$15,440 | #1,544 |
| 12 | Burleigh County Sheriff's Office | County | 56 | $56,576 | −$19,209 | #1,771 |
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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