Updated 2026-10-02 · 555 departments state a minimum age
Police departments hiring at 18, 19 and 20
444 of the 555 departments whose current posting states a minimum age require 21. These 111 don't: 24 take applicants at 18, the rest at 19 or 20. Starting pay is shown where the posting publishes it, and the group's median of $65,602 is below the $70,081 national median. Each row quotes the posting, because "18 at application" and "21 at appointment" are different rules.
Hire before 21
111
of 555 stating an ageHire at 18
24
in 14 statesMedian starting pay
$65,602
all departments $70,081Require 21
444
80% of departmentsWhere they are
Florida (23)California (17)North Carolina (12)Washington (7)Wisconsin (7)Michigan (5)Texas (5)Alabama (3)Virginia (3)Georgia (2)Hawaii (2)Iowa (2)Massachusetts (2)Montana (2)New Jersey (2)New York (2)North Dakota (2)Ohio (2)Vermont (2)Arizona (1)Idaho (1)Illinois (1)Louisiana (1)Minnesota (1)New Mexico (1)Oregon (1)Tennessee (1)West Virginia (1)
Hiring at 18 (or younger): 24 departments
| Department | State | Min. age | Starting pay | Status | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nassau County PD “Candidates must be at least 17 but less than 35 years of age on the date of the written test” | NY | 17 | Not published | Hiring · 1 | |
| Great Falls PD “Minimum of 18 years of age.” | MT | 18 | $90,979 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Bozeman PD “Must be 18 years of age and a U.S. Citizen” | MT | 18 | $79,581 | Hiring · 2 | |
| San Diego County Sheriff “Applicants must be 18 years of age at time of application” | CA | 18 | $78,707 | Hiring · 7 | |
| Grand Rapids PD “Must be at least 18 years of age.” | MI | 18 | $77,467 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Green Bay PD “18 years of age or older.” | WI | 18 | $72,010 | Hiring · 2 | |
| La Crosse PD “Applicants must be 18 years of age” | WI | 18 | $69,160 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Onalaska PD “United States citizen; at least (18) years of age.” | WI | 18 | $68,786 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Elkhorn PD “Must be 18+ years of age.” | WI | 18 | $67,596 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Black Hawk County Sheriff “Must be eighteen years of age at the time of appointment.” | IA | 18 | $67,018 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Sheboygan PD “At least 18 years of age.” | WI | 18 | $65,787 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Kootenai County Sheriff “Are you at least 18 years old?” | ID | 18 | $61,194 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Verona PD “Must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, and a high school graduate or equivalent.” | WI | 18 | $60,993 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Detroit PD “Must be at least 18 years of age” | MI | 18 | $59,618 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Clarke County Sheriff “18 years of age or older” | GA | 18 | $59,287 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Williston PD “Must be at least 18 years of age.” | ND | 18 | $55,692 | Hiring · 2 | |
| West Virginia State Police “West Virginia State Law requires an applicant to be at least 18 years of age, but no more than 39 years of age prior to enlistment.” | WV | 18 | $53,724 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Dearborn PD “Minimum age, 18 years.” | MI | 18 | $52,915 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Janesville PD “Minimum Age - 18 years old.” | WI | 18 | $50,256 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Springfield PD “Be at least eighteen (18) years of age.” | TN | 18 | $47,319 | Hiring · 2 | |
| New Orleans PD “The minimum age limit is 18 years for any class of work requiring hard physical labor, operation of or proximity to hazardous machinery, exposure to hazardous chemicals, or participation in any other processes or procedures which are prohibited or limited by the Louisiana State Child Labor Law.” | LA | 18 | $46,885 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Escambia County Sheriff “Be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.” | FL | 18 | $42,578 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Newark PD “Age 18-34” | NJ | 18 | $41,592 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Atlantic City PD “Not less than 18 nor more than 35 years of age at the announced closing date for filing applications for the position.” | NJ | 18 | $40,000 | Hiring · 2 |
Hiring at 19: 27 departments
| Department | State | Min. age | Starting pay | Status | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Raton PD “Must be at least 19 years of age” | FL | 19 | $86,674 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Sunny Isles Beach PD “Minimum age is 19 years old” | FL | 19 | $80,000 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Sunrise PD “Must be 19 years old” | FL | 19 | $79,071 | Hiring · 3 | |
| North Palm Beach PD “at least 19 years of age” | FL | 19 | $76,378 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Delray Beach PD “Must be at least 19 years of age at the time of application” | FL | 19 | $72,000 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Winter Springs PD “Must be at minimum 19 years or older” | FL | 19 | $65,520 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Clermont PD “Must be at least 19 years old.” | FL | 19 | $65,405 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Casselberry PD “Be at least 19 years of age for law enforcement and correctional probation.” | FL | 19 | $64,890 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Okaloosa County Sheriff “Minimum Age of 19 Years” | FL | 19 | $63,554 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Osceola County Sheriff “You must be at least 19 years of age.” | FL | 19 | $62,500 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Miramar PD “be at least nineteen (19) years of age at time of application.” | FL | 19 | $61,662 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Broward County Sheriff “Minimum age of 19 years.” | FL | 19 | $59,982 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Syracuse PD “Candidates must be at least 19 years and 6 months old on or before the written examination to be admitted to the test.” | NY | 19 | $56,674 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Leon County Sheriff “In compliance with 943.13 F.S., the position requires the employee to be at least 19 years of age, be a citizen of the United States, and be of good moral character.” | FL | 19 | $55,800 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Cambridge PD “You must be at least 19 years of age on the date of the exam.” | MA | 19 | $55,000 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Panama City PD “Must be at least 19 years of age.” | FL | 19 | $51,958 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Marion County Sheriff “Must be a minimum of 19 years of age.” | FL | 19 | $51,388 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Winston-Salem PD “Must be at least 19 years of age.” | NC | 19 | $51,269 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Citrus County Sheriff “Must be 19 years of age at the completion of the academy” | FL | 19 | $50,003 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Titusville PD “Must be 19 years of age as of the date of hire.” | FL | 19 | $45,885 | Hiring · 3 | |
| West Melbourne PD “Must be at least nineteen (19) years of age, at time of successful completion of the Competency Examination for Police Officers, pursuant to Florida Department of Law Enforcement Guidelines.” | FL | 19 | $42,036 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Battle Creek PD “Must be nineteen (19) years of age at the time of graduation from the academy.” | MI | 19 | $41,600 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Melbourne PD “Must be at least nineteen (19) years of age, at time of successful completion of the Competency Examination for Police Officers, pursuant to Florida Department of Law Enforcement Guidelines.” | FL | 19 | $39,541 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Montgomery PD “Applicants must be 19 years of age and certifiable by the Alabama Peace Officer's Standards and Training (APOST) Commission.” | AL | 19 | $27,265 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Boston PD “Must be between 19 and 39 years old at the time of taking the Civil Service Exam.” | MA | 19 | Not published | Hiring · 1 | |
| South St. Paul PD “Applicants must be at least 19 years of age” | MN | 19 | Not published | Hiring · 1 | |
| Washington State Patrol “Be 19½ years old at time of application.” | WA | 19½ | $71,408 | Hiring · 2 |
Hiring at 20: 60 departments
| Department | State | Min. age | Starting pay | Status | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell PD “At least 20.5 years of age at the date of application and age 21 by date of appointment.” | CA | 20 | $118,602 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Santa Clara County Sheriff “Applicants who have passed their 20th birthday may apply but cannot be appointed until they have reached their 21st birthday.” | CA | 20 | $116,671 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Santa Clara PD “Must be at least 20 years of age at time of application filing and 21 years of age at time of job appointment” | CA | 20 | $114,713 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Auburn PD “Be at least 20-1/2 years of age at the time of application” | WA | 20 | $108,386 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Chula Vista PD “must be at least 20 years of age at time of application and 21 years of age at time of appointment” | CA | 20 | $105,576 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Livermore PD “Minimum 20 years old.” | CA | 20 | $97,070 | Hiring · 2 | |
| San Francisco County Sheriff “Applicant must be at least 20 years old at the time of application and 21 years old at the time of appointment.” | CA | 20 | $96,304 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Pomona PD “Must be at least 20 1/2 years of age.” | CA | 20 | $89,508 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Los Angeles PD “At least 20 years of age at the time of application and 21 years of age by police academy graduation” | CA | 20 | $87,257 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Rockwall PD “20 years of age at the time of application” | TX | 20 | $84,448 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Hawaii PD “20 years of age at time of filing, (at least 21 years of age by the time of graduation from the Police Academy)” | HI | 20 | $83,808 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Maui PD “All candidates for employment as a Police Officer I shall be at least 20 years of age.” | HI | 20 | $83,808 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Riverside County Sheriff “Must be at least 20 years and 9 months of age at the start of the academy” | CA | 20 | $81,848 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Burlington PD “Must be 20 years of age to apply and must be at least 21 years of age by the time of hire.” | VT | 20 | $81,661 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Bloomington PD “Be at least 20 years of age and not more than 34 years of age* at the time of application.” | IL | 20 | $81,304 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Stockton PD “Must be twenty (20) years of age at the time of application, and twenty-one (21) years of age by the time of appointment.” | CA | 20 | $80,639 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Murphy PD “Must be 20 years and 180 days of age at the time of application” | TX | 20 | $77,971 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Columbus PD “At least twenty (20) years of age when applying, and at least twenty-one (21) years of age at the time of being sworn-in.” | OH | 20 | $77,938 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Scottsdale PD “Must be 20 years and 6 months of age at the time of application.” | AZ | 20 | $77,584 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Snohomish County Sheriff “Candidates must be at least twenty (20) years old at time of application” | WA | 20 | $74,749 | Hiring · 7 | |
| Mason City PD “Minimum Age: 20 years or older at the time of hire.” | IA | 20 | $71,450 | Hiring · 1 | |
| San Marcos PD “Must be at least 20 years and 6 months of age at the time of the entrance examination and not more than 50 years of age at the time of hire.” | TX | 20 | $70,221 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Livonia PD “Be at least 20 years old.” | MI | 20 | $69,784 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Vermont State Police “Minimum 20 years old to apply and begin the testing selection process.” | VT | 20 | $69,742 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Spokane PD “Candidates must be 20 years of age at the time of application and 21 years of age at the time of appointment.” | WA | 20 | $69,077 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Fargo PD “Must be 20+ years old to qualify.” | ND | 20 | $68,494 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Springfield PD “Must be 20 years of age at the time application is filed.” | OH | 20 | $68,146 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Vallejo PD “Be 20 years old by the date of the written examination and be 21 years, or older, at the time of appointment” | CA | 20 | $66,560 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Antioch PD “Age: 20 years and 6 months at time of appointment.” | CA | 20 | $66,144 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Fairfax City PD “20 years and 6 months of age at time of application, no upper age limit.” | VA | 20 | $65,756 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Barstow PD “At least 20 years of age at the time of application and 21 years of age at time of graduation from P.O.S.T. approved academy.” | CA | 20 | $65,684 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Fort Worth PD “AGE: 20 – 50 years of age; (Applicants must be 20 years of age and not be 51 years of age by the last date of their entry-level test)” | TX | 20 | $65,520 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Modesto PD “Must be a minimum of 20 years of age at date of application.” | CA | 20 | $60,174 | Hiring · 8 | |
| Hickory PD “minimum age of twenty years” | NC | 20 | $58,716 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Suffolk PD “Applicants must be 20 years of age at the time of application” | VA | 20 | $55,304 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Statesville PD “Be at least 20 years of age.” | NC | 20 | $55,120 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Wilson PD “Be at least 20 years of age;” | NC | 20 | $54,970 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Cumberland County Sheriff “be at least 20 years of age” | NC | 20 | $54,765 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Alamance County Sheriff “Must be at least 20 years of age.” | NC | 20 | $54,515 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Decatur PD “minimum of 20 years of age provided applicant turns 21 years of age prior to Police Academy graduation” | AL | 20 | $53,674 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Durham PD “Age 20 or older upon completion of classroom training.” | NC | 20 | $53,167 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Gastonia PD “Must be 20 years of age” | NC | 20 | $51,300 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Orange County Sheriff “At least 20 years of age.” | FL | 20 | $50,960 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Albany PD “Must be at least 20 years of age.” | GA | 20 | $50,862 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Greenville PD “Must be at least 20 years of age by December 2026.” | NC | 20 | $48,506 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Fairhope PD “Must be at least twenty (20) years of age and a U.S. citizen.” | AL | 20 | $47,840 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Hampton PD “Must be at least twenty (20) years of age at time of application.” | VA | 20 | $47,258 | Hiring · 7 | |
| Lexington PD “Minimum age of 20 years.” | NC | 20 | $45,365 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Gaston County PD “All candidates must be at least twenty (20) years of age” | NC | 20 | $44,179 | Hiring · 1 | |
| New Hanover County Sheriff “Must be at least 20 years of age at the time of application and a citizen of the United States.” | NC | 20 | $44,152 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Brevard County Sheriff “Must be at least 20 years of age.” | FL | 20 | $43,597 | Hiring · 6 | |
| Ruidoso PD “Must be Twenty (20) years of age at time of academy, but must be 21 years of age by graduation time.” | NM | 20 | $43,472 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Sanford PD “Must be at least 20 years of age to enter employment with the City of Sanford as a Police Officer Cadet” | FL | 20 | $41,600 | Hiring · 2 | |
| Fremont PD “Be at least 20.5 years of age at time of filing and 21 years of age at time of appointment.” | CA | 20½ | $126,525 | Hiring · 2 | |
| San Jose PD “At least 20-1/2 years old at the time of application/ Maximum age is 70 years old (mandatory retirement age)” | CA | 20½ | $123,653 | Hiring · 4 | |
| Tacoma PD “You must be at least 20.5 years of age at the time of application - and be 21 years of age by date of hire” | WA | 20½ | $98,571 | Hiring · 2 | |
| King County Sheriff “You must be at least 20.5 years of age at the time of application.” | WA | 20½ | $95,909 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Lake Stevens PD “At least 20½ years old at time of application” | WA | 20½ | $94,065 | Hiring · 3 | |
| Portland PD “Must be at least 20.5 years old at the time of application.” | OR | 20½ | $84,000 | Hiring · 1 | |
| Round Rock PD “By the start of the academy, you must be at least 20 years and 6 months of age.” | TX | 20½ | $71,718 | Hiring · 1 |
Why most departments say 21
Federal law sets 21 as the minimum age to buy a handgun from a dealer, and most state certification boards set 21 as the minimum to be a sworn officer. States such as Florida, Alabama and Wisconsin allow 18 or 19, which is why those states dominate the list above. Departments that hire at 20 or 20½ are usually timing applications so recruits turn 21 by academy graduation. If you're under 21 elsewhere, the usual routes are a cadet, community service officer, detention or dispatch job at the same department, which several of these postings mention.
Related
Departments that don't require a college degreeDepartments that pay for the academyStarting pay by stateHiring bonuses
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