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North Plainfield 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.
North Plainfield Police Department starts at $59,036 a year — about $28.38 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $9,354 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $12,228 below the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in New Jersey run about 9% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $54,259 somewhere at average prices — $4,777 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 isNorth Plainfield Police Department reported 47 sworn officers and 10 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 2.0 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 23,202.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.
About North Plainfield
North Plainfield Police Department states its mission as enhancing the quality of life in the borough by working together with the community.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $59,036 starting base salary. Official 2026 NPPD hiring letter explicitly states starting base salary for Police Officer is $59,036, with top salary reached through six steps. — open the source document
$59,036 starting base salary. Official 2026 NPPD hiring letter explicitly states starting base salary for Police Officer is $59,036, with top salary reached through six steps.
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 North Plainfield 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 Plainfield starts at $59,036, so $12,251 below the municipal middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a North Plainfield Police Department officer make?
North Plainfield Police Department starts a new officer on $59,036 a year, about $28.38 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 $59,036 starting base salary. Official 2026 NPPD hiring letter explicitly states starting base salary for Police Officer is $59,036, with top salary reached through six steps..
Is that good pay for a police officer in New Jersey?
It ranks #5 of 15 agencies we have verified in New Jersey — 10 pay less, 4 pay more in the state — and #1,282 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $9,354 below, and against other municipal agencies $12,228 below.
Compare with another department
Put North Plainfield 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 NJ
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs North | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — Fish & Wildlife Conservation Police | State | — | $74,153 | +$15,117 | #588 |
| 2 | New Jersey State Police | State | 3,351 | $64,956 | +$5,920 | #1,028 |
| 3 | Galloway Township Police Department | Municipal | 68 | $64,236 | +$5,200 | #1,054 |
| 4 | New Jersey State Parole Board | State | — | $63,268 | +$4,232 | #1,099 |
| 6 | Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department | Municipal | 16 | $58,000 | −$1,036 | #1,322 |
| 7 | Toms River Township Police Department | Municipal | 145 | $56,792 | −$2,244 | #1,374 |
| 8 | South Brunswick Police Department | Municipal | — | $55,165 | −$3,871 | #1,421 |
| 9 | New Jersey Department of Corrections — Correctional Police | State | — | $55,081 | −$3,955 | #1,426 |
| 10 | Atlantic City Police Department | Municipal | 295 | $54,500 | −$4,536 | #1,453 |
| 11 | Atlantic Highlands Police Department | Municipal | 15 | $52,975 | −$6,061 | #1,500 |
| 12 | New Jersey State Park Police | State | 81 | $50,604 | −$8,432 | #1,546 |
| 13 | New Jersey State Human Services Police | State | — | $50,604 | −$8,432 | #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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