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Metro Transit Police Department (WMATA) 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.
Metro Transit Police Department (WMATA) starts at $74,505 a year — about $35.82 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $6,115 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $14,310 above the median for special jurisdiction agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in District of Columbia run about 10% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $67,793 somewhere at average prices — $6,712 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 155 against a national average of 100, where goods are 107. 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.
About Metro Transit
The Metro Transit Police Department is the police force of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and it is unusual among American police agencies in that its jurisdiction crosses state lines: officers are sworn in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia alike, policing the bus, rail and paratransit system across the whole DMV. It describes itself as a full-fledged police department operating in a unique environment, serving millions of riders a year. Promotion opens after five years of sworn service, and the pay range runs to $133,718 with a shift differential on top.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 20 August 2026. WMATA — Metro Transit Police, Employment and Training — open the source document
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's own Metro Transit Police employment page: "We offer a starting salary of $74,505 for entry-level police officer positions." The published range runs $74,505 to $133,718 plus shift differential. No prior service is required, and this is not a lateral rate: WMATA prices experience separately and says so — applicants with prior law enforcement are offered a starting salary commensurate with their years of service up to a maximum of five years, and applicants with military, corrections or higher education may also qualify for a higher entry salary, in both cases capped at $91,906. The entry-level figure is therefore the floor for a hire with no prior service.
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 Metro Transit 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. Metro Transit starts at $74,505, so $14,310 above the special jurisdiction middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Metro Transit Police Department (WMATA) officer make?
Metro Transit Police Department (WMATA) starts a new officer on $74,505 a year, about $35.82 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 WMATA — Metro Transit Police, Employment and Training.
Is that good pay for a police officer in District of Columbia?
It ranks #2 of 4 agencies we have verified in District of Columbia — 2 pay less, 1 pay more in the state — and #578 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $6,115 above, and against other special jurisdiction agencies $14,310 above.
Compare with another department
Put Metro Transit Police Department (WMATA) 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 DC
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Metro | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metropolitan Police Department | Municipal | 3,300 | $75,433 | +$928 | #538 |
| 3 | Amtrak Police Department | Special jurisdiction | — | $70,429 | −$4,076 | #750 |
| 4 | District of Columbia Housing Authority Police Department | Municipal | — | $69,156 | −$5,349 | #806 |
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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