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Pierre 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.
Pierre Police Department starts at $68,307 a year — about $32.84 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $83 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $2,957 below the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in South Dakota run about 11% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $77,108 would somewhere at average prices — $8,801 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 68 against a national average of 100, where goods are 95. 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 isPierre Police Department reported 20 sworn officers and 16 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.5 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 13,719.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 Pierre
Pierre's official Police Officer materials describe the position as enforcing federal, state and local laws, protecting life and property, patrolling the city, responding to calls and providing public-safety services.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. City of Pierre Commission minutes documenting 2026 Police Department Patrol Officer new hires at $32.84/hour — open the source document
Their source is effective 14 April 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 Pierre 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. Pierre starts at $68,307, so $2,980 below the municipal middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Pierre Police Department officer make?
Pierre Police Department starts a new officer on $68,307 a year, about $32.84 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 Pierre Commission minutes documenting 2026 Police Department Patrol Officer new hires at $32.84/hour.
Is that good pay for a police officer in South Dakota?
It ranks #3 of 9 agencies we have verified in South Dakota — 6 pay less, 2 pay more in the state — and #847 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $83 below, and against other municipal agencies $2,957 below.
Compare with another department
Put Pierre 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 SD
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Pierre | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls Police Department | Municipal | 284 | $72,030 | +$3,723 | #664 |
| 2 | Spearfish Police Department | Municipal | 19 | $68,307 | same | #846 |
| 4 | Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office | County | 86 | $66,893 | −$1,414 | #923 |
| 5 | Rapid City Police Department | Municipal | 157 | $66,456 | −$1,851 | #950 |
| 6 | South Dakota Highway Patrol | State | 150 | $64,251 | −$4,056 | #1,053 |
| 7 | Pennington County Sheriff's Office | County | 217 | $63,357 | −$4,950 | #1,092 |
| 8 | Yankton Police Department | Municipal | 30 | $58,253 | −$10,054 | #1,306 |
| 9 | Brown County Sheriff's Office | County | 21 | $55,578 | −$12,730 | #1,408 |
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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