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Police pay in New Mexico
Entry pay in New Mexico runs from $49,691 to $75,046 a year. Verified at 13 agencies, each figure taken from that employer's own published document and dated on its page.
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.
The middle New Mexico agency starts officers on $59,675, below the national middle of $68,390 — 38th of the 50 states we can rank.
How New Mexico compares
Every figure below is a starting salary — what an agency pays an officer in their first year, before overtime. Each one is the middle agency of its group: half pay more, half pay less.
| Agencies compared | Middle NM agency | Middle US agency | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All agencies | $59,675 | $68,390 | −13% |
| City departments | $59,212 | $71,302 | −17% |
| Sheriff's offices | $59,675 | $65,374 | −9% |
The best-paid agency in New Mexico starts officers on 1.5 times what the lowest-paid one does — $75,046 against $49,691. Overall, New Mexico ranks 38th of the 50 states we can rank.
By level
Municipal7 agencies
Lowest$50,336
Middle$59,212
Highest$75,046
Across 7 city departments in New Mexico.
Sheriff5 agencies
Lowest$49,691
Middle$59,675
Highest$63,045
Across 5 sheriff's offices in New Mexico.
State1 agency
New Mexico State Police$70,845
Only one verified here, so we name it rather than give a middle figure.
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Every New Mexico agency we have verified
| # | Agency | Level | Entry pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Fe Police Department | Municipal | $75,046 |
| 2 | New Mexico State Police | State | $70,845 |
| 3 | Albuquerque Police Department | Municipal | $65,499 |
| 4 | San Juan County Sheriff's Office | County | $63,045 |
| 5 | Valencia County Sheriff's Office | County | $62,150 |
| 6 | Carlsbad Police Department | Municipal | $59,842 |
| 7 | McKinley County Sheriff's Office | County | $59,675 |
| 8 | Los Lunas Police Department | Municipal | $59,212 |
| 9 | Chaves County Sheriff's Office | County | $56,264 |
| 10 | Las Cruces Police Department | Municipal | $54,080 |
| 11 | Rio Rancho Police Department | Municipal | $52,000 |
| 12 | Ruidoso Police Department | Municipal | $50,336 |
| 13 | Grant County Sheriff's Office | County | $49,691 |
Across the state line
What the middle agency starts on in the states New Mexico borders.
Also: Every agency we have verified The statistics Municipal departments Sheriff's offices
Figures checked between 8 August 2026 and 18 August 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 the figure shown. Where an agency publishes both an academy rate and a post-academy rate, the post-academy rate is used. A missing agency has not been checked, not found to pay less.
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