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New Jersey State 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 Police starts at $64,956 a year — about $31.23 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $3,434 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $42 below the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in New Jersey run about 9% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $59,699 somewhere at average prices — $5,257 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 Police reported 3,351 sworn officers 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.
What New Jersey State says about itself
This Branch is the front line component of the State Police and is charged with enforcing the laws, protecting life and property, preserving the peace. DESCRIPTION: The New Jersey State Police provides statewide law-enforcement and public-safety service. Its front-line Operations Branch enforces laws, protects life and property, preserves peace, prevents and detects crime, arrests violators, serves the public, assists other agencies and provides uniformed patrol.
What New Jersey State does
The New Jersey State Police's front-line branch is charged with enforcing the laws, protecting life and property and preserving the peace across the state.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. New Jersey State Police — Recruiting Strategic Plan — open the source document
$64,955.99. 2023 recruiting strategic plan (official NJSP document; current-date verification still required)
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 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 starts at $64,956, so $42 below the state middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a New Jersey State Police officer make?
New Jersey State Police starts a new officer on $64,956 a year, about $31.23 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 State Police — Recruiting Strategic Plan.
Is that good pay for a police officer in New Jersey?
It ranks #2 of 15 agencies we have verified in New Jersey — 13 pay less, 1 pay more in the state — and #1,028 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $3,434 below, and against other state agencies $42 below.
Compare with another department
Put New Jersey State 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 | +$9,197 | #588 |
| 3 | Galloway Township Police Department | Municipal | 68 | $64,236 | −$720 | #1,054 |
| 4 | New Jersey State Parole Board | State | — | $63,268 | −$1,688 | #1,099 |
| 5 | North Plainfield Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $59,036 | −$5,920 | #1,282 |
| 6 | Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department | Municipal | 16 | $58,000 | −$6,956 | #1,322 |
| 7 | Toms River Township Police Department | Municipal | 145 | $56,792 | −$8,164 | #1,374 |
| 8 | South Brunswick Police Department | Municipal | — | $55,165 | −$9,791 | #1,421 |
| 9 | New Jersey Department of Corrections — Correctional Police | State | — | $55,081 | −$9,875 | #1,426 |
| 10 | Atlantic City Police Department | Municipal | 295 | $54,500 | −$10,456 | #1,453 |
| 11 | Atlantic Highlands Police Department | Municipal | 15 | $52,975 | −$11,981 | #1,500 |
| 12 | New Jersey State Park Police | State | 81 | $50,604 | −$14,352 | #1,546 |
| 13 | New Jersey State Human Services Police | State | — | $50,604 | −$14,352 | #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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