Home › Police pay › California › National City Police Department
National City 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.
National City Police Department starts at $109,158 a year — about $52.48 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $40,768 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $37,894 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in California run about 11% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $98,590 somewhere at average prices — $10,569 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 159 against a national average of 100, where goods are 106. 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 isNational City Police Department reported 85 sworn officers and 39 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.5 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 57,748.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 National City says about itself
In partnership with our community, the National City Police Department is committed to providing the highest level of service and public safety. We will pursue this commitment with an unwavering resolve while always respecting the rights and dignity of those we serve.
What National City does
NCPD states its mission is, in partnership with the community, to provide the highest level of service and public safety while respecting the rights and dignity of those it serves. The posting describes patrol, crime prevention, investigations, arrests, traffic enforcement and other police duties.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $52.48/hour minimum for Police Officer - Academy Graduate/Academy Enrolled. Official City recruitment opened August 10, 2026 for Police Officer Academy Graduate/Academy Enrolled/Lateral. — open the source document
Posting opened August 10, 2026 $52.48/hour minimum for Police Officer - Academy Graduate/Academy Enrolled. Official City recruitment opened August 10, 2026 for Police Officer Academy Graduate/Academy Enrolled/Lateral. It permits applicants with no prior Police Officer/Deputy Sheriff experience and accepts curr
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.
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 this level compares
Where National City 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. National City starts at $109,158, so $37,871 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a National City Police Department officer make?
National City Police Department starts a new officer on $109,158 a year, about $52.48 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 $52.48/hour minimum for Police Officer - Academy Graduate/Academy Enrolled. Official City recruitment opened August 10, 2026 for Police Officer Academy Graduate/Academy Enrolled/Lateral..
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #51 of 222 agencies we have verified in California — 171 pay less, 50 pay more in the state — and #53 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $40,768 above, and against other municipal agencies $37,894 above.
Compare with another department
Put National City 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 CA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs National | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara Police Department | Municipal | 141 | $163,619 | +$54,461 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$40,285 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$38,784 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$34,845 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$33,938 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$31,866 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$30,581 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$29,806 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$29,102 | #9 |
| 10 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$23,105 | #10 |
| 11 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$22,878 | #11 |
| 12 | Campbell Police Department | Municipal | 44 | $131,747 | +$22,589 | #12 |
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
