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Riverside 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.

Riverside Police Department starts at $68,786 a year — about $33.07 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $2,101 above the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $646 above the median for municipal agencies.

Cost of livingPrices in Ohio run about 7% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $74,143 would somewhere at average prices — $5,358 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 73 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 isRiverside Police Department reported 28 sworn officers and 2 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.1 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 24,472.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 Riverside says about itself

The Riverside Police Department currently has an authorized staffing of 29 police officers, 22 of which are assigned to the Road Patrol Division. The patrol officers are responsible for the protection of life and property, prevention of crime, apprehension of criminals, and general enforcement of laws and ordinances.

What Riverside does

Riverside officers enforce state and City laws, prevent, detect and investigate crime and crashes, protect the public, maintain order and respond to emergencies.

Where the figure comes from

Checked 13 August 2026. $33.07/hour / $68,785.60 annual starting rate. Current March 11, 2026 official City GovernmentJobs recruitment expressly accepts entry-level officers, requires academy completion at appointment, and states entry-level pay starts at $33. — open the source document
March 11, 2026. $33.07/hour / $68,785.60 annual starting rate. Current March 11, 2026 official City GovernmentJobs recruitment expressly accepts entry-level officers, requires academy completion at appointment, and states entry-level pay starts at $33.07/hour.
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.

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How this level compares

Where Riverside sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.

LevelLowestMedianHighestAgencies
Municipal$33,280$68,140$163,6191549
County$35,000$63,565$132,263516
Special jurisdiction$31,200$60,204$107,95471
State$33,994$65,166$110,916145
Federal$70,477$73,502$86,5305
Territory$16,640$28,236$43,3549
What this shows

Federal agencies pay the most to start

The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $5,400 more than the middle municipal agency and about $9,900 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,300 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Riverside starts at $68,786, so $646 above the municipal middle.

How it ranks

Nationally #1,007of 2,288 agencies Top 44% of everything we have verified
In OH #33of 53 agencies 20 pay less, 32 pay more
Hourly to start $33on a 2,080-hour year Base pay only, before overtime or any differential

Common questions

How much does a Riverside Police Department officer make?

Riverside Police Department starts a new officer on $68,786 a year, about $33.07 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 $33.07/hour / $68,785.60 annual starting rate. Current March 11, 2026 official City GovernmentJobs recruitment expressly accepts entry-level officers, requires academy completion at appointment, and states entry-level pay starts at $33..

Is that good pay for a police officer in Ohio?

It ranks #33 of 53 agencies we have verified in Ohio — 20 pay less, 32 pay more in the state — and #1,007 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $2,101 above, and against other municipal agencies $646 above.

Compare with another department

Put Riverside 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.

Compare Riverside

The agencies either side of it

Other agencies in OH

Go
#AgencyLevelSworn #Entry payVs RiversideNational
1Westlake Police DepartmentMunicipal—$88,712+$19,926#291
2University Heights Police DepartmentMunicipal29$82,259+$13,473#421
3Powell Police DepartmentMunicipal21$81,426+$12,641#444
4Springfield Police DepartmentMunicipal123$80,764+$11,978#468
5Stow Police DepartmentMunicipal45$80,288+$11,502#486
6Cincinnati Police DepartmentMunicipal971$79,359+$10,574#513
7Hilliard Police DepartmentMunicipal63$79,248+$10,462#515
8Kettering Police DepartmentMunicipal79$79,227+$10,441#517
9Canfield Police DepartmentMunicipal21$79,002+$10,216#522
10Mentor Police DepartmentMunicipal—$77,849+$9,063#563
11Dayton Police DepartmentMunicipal342$77,411+$8,626#575
12West Chester Township Police DepartmentMunicipal92$77,027+$8,241#584

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