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New Jersey State Park Police 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.
New Jersey State Park Police starts at $50,604 a year — about $24.33 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $17,786 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $14,393 below the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in New Jersey run about 9% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $46,509 somewhere at average prices — $4,095 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 134 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.
How big the department isNew Jersey State Park Police reported 81 sworn officers and 1 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 New Jersey State Park
New Jersey State Park Police officers are sworn state law-enforcement officers who protect visitors, employees, natural and historic resources and state property throughout New Jersey's state park system. Officers patrol state parks and forests, enforce state laws, investigate incidents and respond to emergencies.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — State Park Police — open the source document
$50,604.43. Current official NJDEP recruiting information 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 New Jersey State Park 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. New Jersey State Park starts at $50,604, so $14,394 below the state middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a New Jersey State Park Police officer make?
New Jersey State Park Police starts a new officer on $50,604 a year, about $24.33 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 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — State Park Police.
Is that good pay for a police officer in New Jersey?
It ranks #12 of 15 agencies we have verified in New Jersey — 3 pay less, 11 pay more in the state — and #1,546 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $17,786 below, and against other state agencies $14,393 below.
Compare with another department
Put New Jersey State Park Police 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 NJ
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs New | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — Fish & Wildlife Conservation Police | State | — | $74,153 | +$23,549 | #588 |
| 2 | New Jersey State Police | State | 3,351 | $64,956 | +$14,352 | #1,028 |
| 3 | Galloway Township Police Department | Municipal | 68 | $64,236 | +$13,632 | #1,054 |
| 4 | New Jersey State Parole Board | State | — | $63,268 | +$12,664 | #1,099 |
| 5 | North Plainfield Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $59,036 | +$8,432 | #1,282 |
| 6 | Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department | Municipal | 16 | $58,000 | +$7,396 | #1,322 |
| 7 | Toms River Township Police Department | Municipal | 145 | $56,792 | +$6,188 | #1,374 |
| 8 | South Brunswick Police Department | Municipal | — | $55,165 | +$4,561 | #1,421 |
| 9 | New Jersey Department of Corrections — Correctional Police | State | — | $55,081 | +$4,477 | #1,426 |
| 10 | Atlantic City Police Department | Municipal | 295 | $54,500 | +$3,896 | #1,453 |
| 11 | Atlantic Highlands Police Department | Municipal | 15 | $52,975 | +$2,370 | #1,500 |
| 13 | New Jersey State Human Services Police | State | — | $50,604 | same | #1,547 |
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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