Home › Police pay › Colorado › University of Northern Colorado Police Department
University of Northern Colorado 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.
University of Northern Colorado Police Department starts at $63,396 a year — about $30.48 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $4,994 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $3,201 above the median for special jurisdiction agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Colorado run about 3% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $61,518 somewhere at average prices — $1,878 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 127 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 isUniversity of Northern Colorado Police Department reported 14 sworn officers and 6 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.
What University of Northern Colorado says about itself
Our mission is to be trusted partners with the University of Northern Colorado community. We exist to help and support our campus by being servant leaders.
What University of Northern Colorado does
UNC Police Officer I is the university's commissioned law-enforcement classification.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $63,396 annual Police Officer I base. Official State recruitment closing January 6, 2026 publishes Police Officer I base salary $63,396 and explicitly states POST-certified applicants not meeting lateral criteria begin at base salary. — open the source document
$63,396 annual Police Officer I base. Official State recruitment closing January 6, 2026 publishes Police Officer I base salary $63,396 and explicitly states POST-certified applicants not meeting lateral criteria begin at base salary. Appropriate education may substitute for
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 University of Northern Colorado 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. University of Northern Colorado starts at $63,396, so $3,201 above the special jurisdiction 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 University of Northern Colorado Police Department officer make?
University of Northern Colorado Police Department starts a new officer on $63,396 a year, about $30.48 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 $63,396 annual Police Officer I base. Official State recruitment closing January 6, 2026 publishes Police Officer I base salary $63,396 and explicitly states POST-certified applicants not meeting lateral criteria begin at base salary..
Is that good pay for a police officer in Colorado?
It ranks #29 of 35 agencies we have verified in Colorado — 6 pay less, 28 pay more in the state — and #1,089 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $4,994 below, and against other special jurisdiction agencies $3,201 above.
Compare with another department
Put University of Northern Colorado 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 CO
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs University | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado State Patrol | State | 706 | $91,620 | +$28,224 | #184 |
| 2 | Parker Police Department | Municipal | 89 | $89,898 | +$26,502 | #217 |
| 3 | Johnstown Police Department | Municipal | 26 | $86,944 | +$23,548 | #266 |
| 4 | Broomfield Police Department | Municipal | 135 | $86,029 | +$22,633 | #278 |
| 5 | Golden Police Department | Municipal | 53 | $85,321 | +$21,925 | #287 |
| 6 | Lakewood Police Department | Municipal | 274 | $85,093 | +$21,697 | #291 |
| 7 | Breckenridge Police Department | Municipal | 25 | $83,990 | +$20,594 | #310 |
| 8 | Thornton Police Department | Municipal | 243 | $82,992 | +$19,596 | #332 |
| 9 | Commerce City Police Department | Municipal | 109 | $82,327 | +$18,931 | #341 |
| 10 | Larimer County Sheriff's Office | County | 228 | $81,765 | +$18,369 | #353 |
| 11 | Westminster Police Department | Municipal | 187 | $80,746 | +$17,350 | #387 |
| 12 | Boulder County Sheriff's Office | County | 106 | $80,496 | +$17,100 | #395 |
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
