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Police pay in Washington
Entry pay in Washington runs from $48,528 to $117,792 a year. Verified at 93 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 Washington agency starts officers on $88,308, above the national middle of $66,706 — 2nd of the 50 states we can rank.
How Washington 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 WA agency | Middle US agency | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All agencies | $88,308 | $66,706 | +32% |
| City departments | $92,388 | $68,140 | +36% |
| Sheriff's offices | $80,620 | $63,565 | +27% |
| State agencies | $77,916 | $65,400 | +19% |
The best-paid agency in Washington starts officers on 2.4 times what the lowest-paid one does — $117,792 against $48,528. Overall, Washington ranks 2nd of the 50 states we can rank.
By level
Municipal54 agencies
Lowest$48,528
Middle$92,388
Highest$117,792
Across 54 city departments in Washington.
Sheriff32 agencies
Lowest$54,685
Middle$80,620
Highest$95,909
Across 32 sheriff's offices in Washington.
State6 agencies
Lowest$59,760
Middle$77,916
Highest$93,156
Across 6 state agencies in Washington.
Special jurisdiction1 agency
Amtrak Police Department$70,429
Only one verified here, so we name it rather than give a middle figure.
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Every Washington agency we have verified
Across the state line
What the middle agency starts on in the states Washington borders.
Also for Washington: What Washington agencies say about off-duty work Taken from each agency's own published policy.
Also: Every agency we have verified The statistics Municipal departments Sheriff's offices
Figures checked between 8 August 2026 and 22 September 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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