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Tufts University 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.
Tufts University Police Department starts at $75,962 a year — about $36.52 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $7,572 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $15,766 above the median for special jurisdiction agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Massachusetts run about 6% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $71,827 somewhere at average prices — $4,135 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 152 against a national average of 100, where goods are 99. 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 isTufts University Police Department reported 52 sworn officers and 58 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025.No rate is shown: this agency does not police a single population the FBI publishes a figure for. 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 Tufts University
TUPD is a full-time accredited agency under Tufts Department of Public Safety serving all four campuses; its certified police officers provide the law-enforcement response while Campus Security Officers serve a separate non-enforcement role.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $36.52/hour minimum. Current official Tufts Police Officer – Academy Trained recruitment publishes $36. — open the source document
$36.52/hour minimum. Current official Tufts Police Officer – Academy Trained recruitment publishes $36.52-$45.93/hour. The minimum is retained for the academy-trained Police Officer classification; prior degree/EMT qualifications are preferred rather than required.
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 Tufts University 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. Tufts University starts at $75,962, so $15,767 above the special jurisdiction middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Tufts University Police Department officer make?
Tufts University Police Department starts a new officer on $75,962 a year, about $36.52 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 $36.52/hour minimum. Current official Tufts Police Officer – Academy Trained recruitment publishes $36..
Is that good pay for a police officer in Massachusetts?
It ranks #4 of 9 agencies we have verified in Massachusetts — 5 pay less, 3 pay more in the state — and #521 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $7,572 above, and against other special jurisdiction agencies $15,766 above.
Compare with another department
Put Tufts University 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 MA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Tufts | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everett Police Department | Municipal | 120 | $95,568 | +$19,606 | #140 |
| 2 | Nantucket Police Department | Municipal | 40 | $92,144 | +$16,182 | #178 |
| 3 | Massachusetts State Police | State | 2,565 | $80,213 | +$4,251 | #407 |
| 5 | Boston Police Department | Municipal | 2,172 | $71,861 | −$4,101 | #673 |
| 6 | West Stockbridge Police Department | Municipal | — | $66,797 | −$9,165 | #928 |
| 7 | Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs — Environmental Police | State | — | $65,447 | −$10,514 | #992 |
| 8 | Brockton Police Department | Municipal | 179 | $63,971 | −$11,991 | #1,060 |
| 9 | Melrose Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $61,511 | −$14,451 | #1,172 |
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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