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Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife — Vermont Warden Service 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.
Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife — Vermont Warden Service starts at $58,344 a year — about $28.05 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $10,046 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $6,654 below the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Vermont run about 2% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $59,560 would somewhere at average prices — $1,216 more than the headline figure. That average hides a wide spread: utilities at 126, 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.
About Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife — Vermont Warden Service
Vermont Game Wardens are statewide law-enforcement officers responsible for enforcing fish and wildlife laws and protecting people and natural resources. Trainees complete the Vermont Police Academy and an extended field-training period before district assignment anywhere in the state.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. State of Vermont Careers Game Warden Trainee posting, Req. 55228 — open the source document
The current Game Warden Trainee minimum is $28.05/hour, annualized at $58,344. The permanent trainee appointment continues through the police academy and subsequent field-training period, and the official posting does not state an academy-completion pay change; therefore the published figure remains the applicable post-academy entry rate.
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 Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife — Vermont Warden Service 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. Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife — Vermont Warden Service starts at $58,344, so $6,654 below the state middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife — Vermont Warden Service officer make?
Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife — Vermont Warden Service starts a new officer on $58,344 a year, about $28.05 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 State of Vermont Careers Game Warden Trainee posting, Req. 55228.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Vermont?
It ranks #7 of 7 agencies we have verified in Vermont — 0 pay less, 6 pay more in the state — and #1,304 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $10,046 below, and against other state agencies $6,654 below.
Compare with another department
Put Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife — Vermont Warden Service 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 VT
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Vermont | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burlington Police Department | Municipal | 59 | $81,653 | +$23,309 | #356 |
| 2 | Montpelier Police Department | Municipal | 15 | $80,870 | +$22,526 | #385 |
| 3 | Vermont State Police | State | 256 | $71,947 | +$13,603 | #670 |
| 4 | Colchester Police Department | Municipal | 27 | $66,560 | +$8,216 | #946 |
| 5 | South Burlington Police Department | Municipal | 33 | $64,668 | +$6,324 | #1,036 |
| 6 | Winooski Police Department | Municipal | 15 | $63,752 | +$5,408 | #1,070 |
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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