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West Palm Beach 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.
West Palm Beach Police Department starts at $75,921 a year — about $36.50 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $7,531 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $4,657 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL run about 14% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $66,507 somewhere at average prices — $9,414 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 156 against a national average of 100, where goods are 104. Based on price levels for this metropolitan 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 isWest Palm Beach Police Department reported 295 sworn officers and 108 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 2.3 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 130,449.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 West Palm Beach says about itself
Since November 4, 1894, the West Palm Beach Police Department has been a trusted leader in law enforcement, dedicated to serving and protecting one of South Florida's most vibrant and diverse cities.
What West Palm Beach does
West Palm Beach Police Department says it has served the city since 1894 and is the largest municipal police agency in Palm Beach County, reporting more than 300 sworn officers and providing 24/7 police services with specialised units including SWAT, K-9, bomb, dive, investigations, traffic and community outreach.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. City of West Palm Beach official Join Our Team recruiting page — open the source document
2026 page; starting pay $75,921, the same figure carried on the non-certified applicant page. A separate 2025 release gives the academy rate as $72,306.
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 West Palm Beach 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. West Palm Beach starts at $75,921, so $4,634 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a West Palm Beach Police Department officer make?
West Palm Beach Police Department starts a new officer on $75,921 a year, about $36.50 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 City of West Palm Beach official Join Our Team recruiting page.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Florida?
It ranks #11 of 141 agencies we have verified in Florida — 130 pay less, 10 pay more in the state — and #524 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $7,531 above, and against other municipal agencies $4,657 above.
Compare with another department
Put West Palm Beach 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 FL
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs West | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boca Raton Police Services Department | Municipal | 195 | $86,674 | +$10,753 | #270 |
| 2 | Fort Lauderdale Police Department | Municipal | 565 | $81,723 | +$5,802 | #354 |
| 3 | Plantation Police Department | Municipal | 164 | $81,000 | +$5,079 | #379 |
| 4 | Pinecrest Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $80,912 | +$4,991 | #383 |
| 5 | Sunny Isles Beach Police Department | Municipal | 65 | $80,000 | +$4,079 | #411 |
| 6 | Aventura Police Department | Municipal | 91 | $78,556 | +$2,635 | #441 |
| 7 | Coral Springs Police Department | Municipal | 222 | $77,516 | +$1,595 | #470 |
| 8 | Boynton Beach Police Department | Municipal | 173 | $76,650 | +$729 | #490 |
| 9 | North Palm Beach Police Department | Municipal | 37 | $76,378 | +$457 | #497 |
| 10 | Naples Police Department | Municipal | 74 | $76,320 | +$399 | #501 |
| 12 | Bay Harbor Islands Police Department | Municipal | 24 | $75,836 | −$85 | #528 |
| 13 | Sarasota County Sheriff's Office | County | 490 | $75,457 | −$464 | #537 |
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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