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UNC Charlotte Police & Public Safety 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.
UNC Charlotte Police & Public Safety starts at $55,750 a year — about $26.80 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $10,935 below the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $12,390 below the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in North Carolina run about 6% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $59,104 would somewhere at average prices — $3,354 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 81 against a national average of 100, where goods are 97. 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.
What UNC Charlotte says about itself
The mission of the Police and Public Safety Department is to provide a safe and secure environment supporting the University's pursuit of research and academic excellence. Our highly dedicated law enforcement professionals continually strive to reduce crime, accidents and loss of property through investigative processes and effective community partnerships.
What UNC Charlotte does
UNC Charlotte states Police & Public Safety is a fully authorized state police agency providing police and security services, organized into Patrol and Support Services with an emphasis on community-oriented policing.
Shifts at UNC Charlotte
The UNC Charlotte Patrol Division consists of fully-sworn North Carolina State Officers, supported by communication dispatchers and parking rangers. The division provides 24 hour security coverage, consists of four squads and is centered on community-oriented policing.
Four squads covering 24 hours is a rotating pattern - the squad you are on decides which days you work, and it shifts through the month. BlueShifts holds the squad and lays the year out.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $55,750 annual minimum. Official UNC Charlotte Police Officer recruitment publishes $55,750-$64,465 for the permanent full-time Police Officer classification. — open the source document
Recruitment initially posted December 12, 2025 and maintained for the 2026 hiring cycle. $55,750 annual minimum. Official UNC Charlotte Police Officer recruitment publishes $55,750-$64,465 for the permanent full-time Police Officer classification. The recruitment is a multi-position Police Officer posting; the published minimum is retained for the entry classific
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 UNC Charlotte 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 | $33,280 | $68,140 | $163,619 | 1549 |
| County | $35,000 | $63,565 | $132,263 | 516 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,204 | $107,954 | 71 |
| State | $33,994 | $65,166 | $110,916 | 145 |
| 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 $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. UNC Charlotte starts at $55,750, so $12,390 below the municipal middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a UNC Charlotte Police & Public Safety officer make?
UNC Charlotte Police & Public Safety starts a new officer on $55,750 a year, about $26.80 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 $55,750 annual minimum. Official UNC Charlotte Police Officer recruitment publishes $55,750-$64,465 for the permanent full-time Police Officer classification..
Is that good pay for a police officer in North Carolina?
It ranks #22 of 53 agencies we have verified in North Carolina — 31 pay less, 21 pay more in the state — and #1,806 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $10,935 below, and against other municipal agencies $12,390 below.
What shifts do UNC Charlotte Police & Public Safety officers work?
The UNC Charlotte Patrol Division consists of fully-sworn North Carolina State Officers, supported by communication dispatchers and parking rangers. The division provides 24 hour security coverage, consists of four squads and is centered on community-oriented policing. That is the agency's own published wording; the pattern is drawn on this page.
Compare with another department
Put UNC Charlotte Police & Public Safety 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 NC
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs UNC | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Knightdale Police Department | Municipal | 45 | $67,363 | +$11,613 | #1,104 |
| 2 | Cary Police Department | Municipal | 194 | $65,104 | +$9,354 | #1,247 |
| 3 | Wake Forest Police Department | Municipal | 96 | $65,093 | +$9,343 | #1,248 |
| 4 | Appalachian State University Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 36 | $64,084 | +$8,334 | #1,312 |
| 5 | North Carolina State Highway Patrol | State | — | $63,250 | +$7,500 | #1,368 |
| 6 | Huntersville Police Department | Municipal | 92 | $62,647 | +$6,897 | #1,400 |
| 7 | Apex Police Department | Municipal | 104 | $62,524 | +$6,774 | #1,408 |
| 8 | Fuquay-Varina Police Department | Municipal | 70 | $62,291 | +$6,541 | #1,430 |
| 9 | Johnston County Sheriff's Office | County | 124 | $62,213 | +$6,463 | #1,436 |
| 10 | Chapel Hill Police Department | Municipal | 82 | $61,451 | +$5,701 | #1,477 |
| 11 | Raleigh Police Department | Municipal | 713 | $61,417 | +$5,667 | #1,478 |
| 12 | Duke University Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 57 | $60,195 | +$4,445 | #1,551 |
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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