Home › Police pay › North Dakota › North Dakota Highway Patrol
North Dakota Highway Patrol 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.
North Dakota Highway Patrol starts at $73,332 a year — about $35.26 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $4,942 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $8,334 above the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in North Dakota run about 11% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $82,433 would somewhere at average prices — $9,101 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 71 against a national average of 100, where goods are 96. 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 isNorth Dakota Highway Patrol reported 165 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 North Dakota Highway Patrol says about itself
The mission of the North Dakota Highway Patrol is to make a difference every day by providing high-quality law enforcement services to keep North Dakota safe and secure.
What North Dakota Highway Patrol does
The North Dakota Highway Patrol, formed in 1935, has statewide jurisdiction and works from four regions. Its troopers maintain order, respond to emergencies, protect people and property, and enforce both motor vehicle and criminal law; new troopers complete a 22-week academy in Bismarck.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. North Dakota State Government official — Highway Patrol Questions — open the source document
$73,332. Current official ND government FAQ; 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.
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 North Dakota Highway Patrol 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. North Dakota Highway Patrol starts at $73,332, so $8,334 above the state middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a North Dakota Highway Patrol officer make?
North Dakota Highway Patrol starts a new officer on $73,332 a year, about $35.26 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 North Dakota State Government official — Highway Patrol Questions.
Is that good pay for a police officer in North Dakota?
It ranks #1 of 9 agencies we have verified in North Dakota — the highest in the state in the state — and #614 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $4,942 above, and against other state agencies $8,334 above.
Compare with another department
Put North Dakota Highway Patrol 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 ND
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs North | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Grand Forks Police Department | Municipal | 91 | $69,326 | −$4,006 | #797 |
| 3 | Fargo Police Department | Municipal | 185 | $68,494 | −$4,838 | #836 |
| 4 | North Dakota Game and Fish Department — Enforcement Division | State | — | $65,808 | −$7,524 | #977 |
| 5 | Williston Police Department | Municipal | 64 | $65,520 | −$7,812 | #990 |
| 6 | West Fargo Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $64,376 | −$8,956 | #1,046 |
| 7 | Bismarck Police Department | Municipal | 128 | $63,123 | −$10,209 | #1,104 |
| 8 | Richland County Sheriff's Office | County | 18 | $62,213 | −$11,119 | #1,148 |
| 9 | Dickinson Police Department | Municipal | 44 | $60,345 | −$12,987 | #1,220 |
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
