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Westminster 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.
Westminster Police Department starts at $62,000 a year — about $29.81 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $6,390 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $9,264 below the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Maryland run about 5% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $59,071 somewhere at average prices — $2,929 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 121 against a national average of 100, where goods are 103. 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 isWestminster Police Department reported 39 sworn officers and 11 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.9 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 20,797.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 Westminster says about itself
The Westminster Police Department (WPD) is responsible for providing full-service law enforcement and public safety-related services to its citizens and visitors. In operation 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, WPD is in partnership with the community, striving to preserve peace and provide a safe environment.
What Westminster does
Westminster Police Department provides professional municipal police services focused on protecting life and property, preventing and investigating crime, traffic safety and community engagement. Official City materials emphasize responsive public service, professionalism, accountability and partnerships that support community safety and quality of life
Where the figure comes from
Checked 15 August 2026. City of Westminster, Maryland — Entry-Level Police Officer posting — open the source document
The City of Westminster's own posting for Entry-Level Police Officer, posted 1 May 2026 and open until filled: a starting salary of $62,000 a year. A separate lateral posting runs $62,000 to $71,875 depending on certified experience, so $62,000 is the floor for both routes.
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 Westminster 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. Westminster starts at $62,000, so $9,287 below the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Westminster Police Department officer make?
Westminster Police Department starts a new officer on $62,000 a year, about $29.81 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 Westminster, Maryland — Entry-Level Police Officer posting.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Maryland?
It ranks #21 of 26 agencies we have verified in Maryland — 5 pay less, 20 pay more in the state — and #1,154 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $6,390 below, and against other municipal agencies $9,264 below.
Compare with another department
Put Westminster 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 MD
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Westminster | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockville City Police Department | Municipal | — | $75,256 | +$13,256 | #547 |
| 2 | Maryland Transit Administration Police Force | State | — | $72,829 | +$10,829 | #635 |
| 3 | Anne Arundel County Police Department | Municipal | 82 | $72,802 | +$10,802 | #636 |
| 4 | Frederick Police Department | Municipal | 151 | $71,351 | +$9,351 | #703 |
| 5 | Maryland Transportation Authority Police | State | 392 | $71,258 | +$9,258 | #710 |
| 6 | St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office | County | 167 | $71,011 | +$9,011 | #720 |
| 7 | Prince George's County Police Department | County | 1,343 | $70,257 | +$8,257 | #754 |
| 8 | Worcester County Sheriff's Office | County | 91 | $70,221 | +$8,221 | #757 |
| 9 | Wicomico County Sheriff's Office | County | 97 | $70,000 | +$8,000 | #768 |
| 10 | Gaithersburg Police Department | Municipal | 66 | $70,000 | +$8,000 | #771 |
| 11 | Maryland State Police | State | 1,434 | $69,360 | +$7,360 | #795 |
| 12 | Maryland Natural Resources Police | State | 263 | $68,673 | +$6,673 | #828 |
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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