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Police pay in North Dakota
Entry pay in North Dakota runs from $60,345 to $73,332 a year. Verified at 9 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 North Dakota agency starts officers on $65,520, below the national middle of $68,390 — 25th of the 50 states we can rank.
How North Dakota 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 ND agency | Middle US agency | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All agencies | $65,520 | $68,390 | −4% |
| City departments | $65,520 | $71,302 | −8% |
The best-paid agency in North Dakota starts officers on 1.2 times what the lowest-paid one does — $73,332 against $60,345. Overall, North Dakota ranks 25th of the 50 states we can rank.
By level
Municipal6 agencies
Lowest$60,345
Middle$65,520
Highest$69,326
Across 6 city departments in North Dakota.
Sheriff1 agency
Richland County Sheriff's Office$62,213
Only one verified here, so we name it rather than give a middle figure.
State2 agencies
North Dakota Highway Patrol$73,332
North Dakota Game and Fish Department — Enforcement Division$65,808
Only two verified here, so we name them rather than give a middle figure.
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Every North Dakota agency we have verified
| # | Agency | Level | Entry pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota Highway Patrol | State | $73,332 |
| 2 | Grand Forks Police Department | Municipal | $69,326 |
| 3 | Fargo Police Department | Municipal | $68,494 |
| 4 | North Dakota Game and Fish Department — Enforcement Division | State | $65,808 |
| 5 | Williston Police Department | Municipal | $65,520 |
| 6 | West Fargo Police Department | Municipal | $64,376 |
| 7 | Bismarck Police Department | Municipal | $63,123 |
| 8 | Richland County Sheriff's Office | County | $62,213 |
| 9 | Dickinson Police Department | Municipal | $60,345 |
Across the state line
What the middle agency starts on in the states North Dakota borders.
Also: Every agency we have verified The statistics Municipal departments Sheriff's offices
Figures checked between 8 August 2026 and 10 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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