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Norwalk 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.
Norwalk Police Department starts at $76,710 a year — about $36.88 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $8,320 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $5,446 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Iowa run about 12% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $87,407 would somewhere at average prices — $10,697 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 65 against a national average of 100, where goods are 94. 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 isNorwalk Police Department reported 22 sworn officers and 1 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.4 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 16,087.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 Norwalk says about itself
With commitment and resolve, the Norwalk Police Department will provide noticeable, professional and dedicated service through citizen focused efforts that solve problems, maintain public trust and produce a safe, prosperous community.
What Norwalk does
Norwalk Police Department says its mission is to provide noticeable, professional and dedicated service through citizen-focused efforts that solve problems, maintain public trust and produce a safe and prosperous community. Its values emphasize accountability, citizen-centered service, diversity of experience and active community participation in protecting life and property
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. City of Norwalk of — open the source document
Opened 20 April 2026; official minimum $36.88/hour = $76,710.40
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 Norwalk 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. Norwalk starts at $76,710, so $5,423 above the municipal middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Norwalk Police Department officer make?
Norwalk Police Department starts a new officer on $76,710 a year, about $36.88 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 City of Norwalk of.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Iowa?
It ranks #3 of 28 agencies we have verified in Iowa — 25 pay less, 2 pay more in the state — and #486 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $8,320 above, and against other municipal agencies $5,446 above.
Compare with another department
Put Norwalk 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 IA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Norwalk | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa County Sheriff's Office | County | 14 | $85,550 | +$8,840 | #281 |
| 2 | Des Moines Police Department | Municipal | 367 | $84,635 | +$7,925 | #297 |
| 4 | Ankeny Police Department | Municipal | 78 | $76,648 | −$62 | #491 |
| 5 | Urbandale Police Department | Municipal | 58 | $76,028 | −$682 | #516 |
| 6 | Woodbury County Sheriff's Office | County | 44 | $73,944 | −$2,766 | #597 |
| 7 | Linn County Sheriff's Office | County | 120 | $73,216 | −$3,494 | #616 |
| 8 | Chickasaw County Sheriff's Office | County | 10 | $71,822 | −$4,888 | #678 |
| 9 | Mason City Police Department | Municipal | 40 | $71,448 | −$5,262 | #698 |
| 10 | Johnson County Sheriff's Office | County | 81 | $70,871 | −$5,839 | #732 |
| 11 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources — Conservation Law Enforcement | State | — | $70,574 | −$6,136 | #742 |
| 12 | Davenport Police Department | Municipal | 143 | $70,322 | −$6,388 | #752 |
| 13 | Clinton County Sheriff's Office | County | 30 | $70,200 | −$6,510 | #759 |
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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