Home › Police pay › Washington › Port Townsend Police Department
Port Townsend 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.
Port Townsend Police Department starts at $86,382 a year — about $41.53 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $17,992 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $15,118 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Washington run about 7% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $80,721 somewhere at average prices — $5,661 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 126 against a national average of 100, where goods are 104. 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 isPort Townsend Police Department reported 11 sworn officers and 3 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.0 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 10,772.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 Port Townsend
Port Townsend Police Department says its accreditation reflects a commitment to accountability, professionalism, service, established law-enforcement best practices, and professional standards. The department's 2025 annual report shows it hires entry-level, academy-trained, and lateral officers, while its application process routes entry candidates through testing, academy training, and commissioned police service for the City
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. City of Port Townsend adopted 2026 Budget and official Police — open the source document
The adopted 2026 budget lists Police Officer base pay at $41.53-$47.67/hour and separately lists Police Officer Entry Level at $37.39/hour. Current official/state recruiting materials identify $41.53/hour as the academy-certified Police Officer base; $41.53 x 2,080 = $86,382.40 annually. Incentives and hiring bonuses excluded
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 Port Townsend 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. Port Townsend starts at $86,382, so $15,095 above the municipal middle.
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 it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Port Townsend Police Department officer make?
Port Townsend Police Department starts a new officer on $86,382 a year, about $41.53 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 Port Townsend adopted 2026 Budget and official Police.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Washington?
It ranks #44 of 76 agencies we have verified in Washington — 32 pay less, 43 pay more in the state — and #274 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $17,992 above, and against other municipal agencies $15,118 above.
Compare with another department
Put Port Townsend 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 WA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Port | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Police Department | Municipal | 1,064 | $117,792 | +$31,410 | #35 |
| 2 | Redmond Police Department | Municipal | 81 | $110,435 | +$24,053 | #52 |
| 3 | Auburn Police Department | Municipal | 120 | $108,386 | +$22,004 | #57 |
| 4 | Everett Police Department | Municipal | 207 | $102,516 | +$16,134 | #81 |
| 5 | Vancouver Police Department | Municipal | 226 | $101,832 | +$15,450 | #85 |
| 6 | Kirkland Police Department | Municipal | 108 | $101,218 | +$14,835 | #92 |
| 7 | Tukwila Police Department | Municipal | 76 | $101,064 | +$14,682 | #94 |
| 8 | Mount Vernon Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $100,836 | +$14,454 | #97 |
| 9 | Edmonds Police Department | Municipal | 48 | $99,168 | +$12,786 | #108 |
| 10 | Tacoma Police Department | Municipal | 343 | $98,571 | +$12,189 | #111 |
| 11 | Issaquah Police Department | Municipal | 36 | $98,150 | +$11,768 | #114 |
| 12 | Renton Police Department | Municipal | 132 | $97,692 | +$11,310 | #117 |
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
