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Wilmington 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.
Wilmington Police Department starts at $67,600 a year — about $32.50 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $790 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $3,664 below the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD run about 3% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $65,916 somewhere at average prices — $1,684 less than the headline figure. That average hides a wide spread: utilities at 114, where goods are 97. 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 isWilmington Police Department reported 279 sworn officers and 99 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 3.8 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 73,773.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.
About Wilmington
Wilmington says its Patrol Officer performs general police work authorized by law to protect life and property and prevent violations. Officers patrol, investigate complaints and suspicious conditions, make arrests or issue summonses, handle traffic and crime-scene duties, and engage in community relations.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 16 August 2026. City of Wilmington — Mayor and Chief seek applicants for the 105th Wilmington Police Academy — open the source document
Their source is effective 20 July 2026.
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 Wilmington 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. Wilmington starts at $67,600, so $3,687 below the municipal middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Wilmington Police Department officer make?
Wilmington Police Department starts a new officer on $67,600 a year, about $32.50 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 Wilmington — Mayor and Chief seek applicants for the 105th Wilmington Police Academy.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Delaware?
It ranks #11 of 14 agencies we have verified in Delaware — 3 pay less, 10 pay more in the state — and #888 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $790 below, and against other municipal agencies $3,664 below.
Compare with another department
Put Wilmington 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 DE
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Wilmington | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware State Police | State | 783 | $91,265 | +$23,665 | #189 |
| 2 | New Castle City Police Department | Municipal | — | $75,338 | +$7,738 | #544 |
| 3 | University of Delaware Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 48 | $74,679 | +$7,079 | #570 |
| 4 | Middletown Police Department | Municipal | 38 | $74,550 | +$6,950 | #576 |
| 5 | New Castle County Police | County | 414 | $74,453 | +$6,853 | #582 |
| 6 | Dover Police Department | Municipal | 101 | $72,000 | +$4,400 | #668 |
| 7 | Newark Police Department | Municipal | 72 | $70,000 | +$2,400 | #767 |
| 8 | Selbyville Police Department | Municipal | 10 | $68,788 | +$1,188 | #824 |
| 9 | Seaford Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $68,474 | +$874 | #838 |
| 10 | Milford Police Department | Municipal | 35 | $67,971 | +$371 | #864 |
| 12 | Cheswold Police Department | Municipal | 4 | $57,500 | −$10,100 | #1,359 |
| 13 | Delaware Capitol Police | State | — | $53,807 | −$13,793 | #1,475 |
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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