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Metropolitan 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.
Metropolitan Police Department starts at $75,433 a year — about $36.27 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $7,043 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $4,169 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in District of Columbia run about 10% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $68,637 somewhere at average prices — $6,796 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 Metropolitan
The Metropolitan Police Department is the police force of the District of Columbia. Recruits attend roughly 24 weeks of academic and physical skills training at the Metropolitan Police Academy, covering the legal aspects of policing, departmental policy and tactical training, and earn their full salary from the day they enter. On graduating, officers are assigned to one of the seven patrol districts; recruits may state a preference but assignment follows the needs of the department. No prior law enforcement training is required. Hiring preference is given to District of Columbia residents and to United States military veterans, and appointees agree to serve at least two years as a sworn member.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 18 August 2026. Metropolitan Police Department official recruiting site, Police Officer page — open the source document
MPD states the annual starting salary for police officers is $75,433; after the 18-month probationary period members earn $82,529, and after five years $95,535. Recruits earn their FULL salary from the day they enter the Academy, so there is no separate lower recruit rate. Corroborated by the District of Columbia government Police Service (Union) salary schedule, Class 01 Officer, Grade 1: base $72,358 at 6 October 2024, rising 4.25% to $75,433 effective 5 October 2025. The $25,000 hiring bonus is excluded as it is not base pay.
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 Metropolitan 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. Metropolitan starts at $75,433, so $4,146 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Metropolitan Police Department officer make?
Metropolitan Police Department starts a new officer on $75,433 a year, about $36.27 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 Metropolitan Police Department official recruiting site, Police Officer page.
Is that good pay for a police officer in District of Columbia?
It ranks #1 of 4 agencies we have verified in District of Columbia — the highest in the state in the state — and #538 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $7,043 above, and against other municipal agencies $4,169 above.
Compare with another department
Put Metropolitan 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 DC
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Metropolitan | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Metro Transit Police Department (WMATA) | Special jurisdiction | — | $74,505 | −$928 | #578 |
| 3 | Amtrak Police Department | Special jurisdiction | — | $70,429 | −$5,004 | #750 |
| 4 | District of Columbia Housing Authority Police Department | Municipal | — | $69,156 | −$6,277 | #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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