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Updated 2026-10-02 · 68 of 491 North Carolina agencies publish starting pay

Highest paying police departments in North Carolina

Police officer salary in North Carolina by department, ranked by the starting pay each one states in a current posting. Median starting pay is $54,671, about $26.28/hr or $4,556/mo, below the national median of $70,081. 68 of these departments are hiring right now.

Median starting pay
$54,671
▼ 22% vs national $70,081
Highest starting pay
$67,363
Knightdale PD
Lowest on file
$43,738
Nash County Sheriff
Median top-step pay
$75,392
68 departments publish a top step

Every North Carolina department by starting pay

Highest first
DepartmentAreaStarting payTop payLateral startStatus
1. Knightdale PDRaleigh Area$67,363$100,294—Hiring · 1
2. Wake Forest PDRaleigh Area$65,535$94,221—Hiring · 1
3. Cary PDDurham & Chapel Hill$65,104$89,128—Hiring · 1
4. Davidson PDCharlotte Area$63,000$93,995—Hiring · 2
5. Nags Head PDKill Devil Hills Area$62,866$62,866—Hiring · 1
6. Raleigh PDDurham & Chapel Hill$62,338$72,268$66,124Hiring · 1
7. Fuquay-Varina PDRaleigh Area$62,292$99,667—Hiring · 1
8. Apex PDDurham & Chapel Hill$61,291$75,082—Hiring · 1
9. Union County SheriffCharlotte Area$61,069$85,805—Hiring · 2
10. Burlington PDBurlington Area$60,400$94,380—Hiring · 3
11. Rocky Mount PDRocky Mount Area$60,000$89,009—Hiring · 2
12. Mooresville PDCharlotte Area$59,000$95,503—Hiring · 1
13. Hickory PDHickory Area$58,716$70,460—Hiring · 2
14. Wendell PDRaleigh Area$58,588$96,260$58,588Hiring · 1
15. Mebane PDBurlington Area$58,565$91,508—Hiring · 1
16. Clayton PDRaleigh Area$58,401$58,401—Hiring · 2
17. Cabarrus County SheriffCharlotte Area$58,225$73,142—Hiring · 2
18. Morrisville PDDurham & Chapel Hill$58,115$92,997—Hiring · 1
19. Graham PDBurlington Area$57,875$57,875—Hiring · 1
20. Pitt County SheriffGreenville Area$57,310$90,573—Hiring · 1
21. Chapel Hill PDDurham & Chapel Hill$57,164$105,181—Hiring · 2
22. Dare County SheriffKill Devil Hills Area$56,935$74,017—Hiring · 2
23. Chatham County SheriffDurham & Chapel Hill$56,593$72,157—Hiring · 2
24. Franklin County SheriffRaleigh Area$56,563$59,391—Hiring · 2
25. Pinehurst PDPinehurst Area$56,480$84,720—Hiring · 1
26. Kernersville PDWinston-Salem Area$56,264$56,264—Hiring · 1
27. Topsail Beach PDWilmington Area$55,793$86,479—Hiring · 1
28. Harnett County SheriffAnderson Creek Area$55,688$91,831—Hiring · 2
29. Halifax County SheriffRoanoke Rapids Area$55,302$61,848—Hiring · 2
30. Statesville PDCharlotte Area$55,120$90,938—Hiring · 1
31. Wilson PDWilson Area$54,970$75,702—Hiring · 1
32. Southport PDWilmington Area$54,878$69,695—Hiring · 1
33. Beaufort PDMorehead City Area$54,862$82,293—Hiring · 2
34. Cumberland County SheriffFayetteville Area$54,765$54,765—Hiring · 4
35. Pender County SheriffWilmington Area$54,577$67,539—Hiring · 3
36. Wrightsville Beach PDWilmington Area$54,533$97,659—Hiring · 1
37. Wilson County SheriffWilson Area$54,516$92,124—Hiring · 2
38. Alamance County SheriffBurlington Area$54,515$66,264—Hiring · 3
39. Elon PDBurlington Area$54,207$89,645—Hiring · 1
40. Carolina Beach PDWilmington Area$54,013$59,415$56,714Hiring · 2
41. Hendersonville PDAsheville Area$53,936$95,014—Hiring · 1
42. Durham PDDurham & Chapel Hill$53,167$53,167—Hiring · 1
43. Albemarle PDAlbemarle Area$52,569$65,520—Hiring · 1
44. Hillsborough PDDurham & Chapel Hill$52,466$105,039—Hiring · 1
45. Craven County SheriffNew Bern Area$51,677$54,159—Hiring · 3
46. Maiden PDHickory Area$51,635$77,453—Hiring · 2
47. Forsyth County SheriffWinston-Salem Area$51,537$87,604—Hiring · 2
48. Gastonia PDCharlotte Area$51,300$99,810$56,557Hiring · 2
49. Winston-Salem PDWinston-Salem Area$51,269$72,141—Hiring · 2
50. Asheville PDAsheville Area$51,064$76,597—Hiring · 1
51. Kinston PDKinston Area$50,981$65,062—Hiring · 1
52. Fayetteville PDFayetteville Area$50,555$84,585—Hiring · 1
53. Elizabeth City PDHampton Roads$50,000$62,520—Hiring · 2
54. Reidsville PDGreensboro & High Point$50,000$86,133—Hiring · 4
55. Huntersville PDCharlotte Area$49,986$93,970$62,647Hiring · 2
56. Washington PDWashington Area$49,153$83,182—Hiring · 1
57. Clinton PDSampson County$48,527$67,957—Hiring · 1
58. Greenville PDGreenville Area$48,506$60,570$57,678Hiring · 2
59. Havelock PDNew Bern Area$48,483$48,483—Hiring · 1
60. Buncombe County SheriffAsheville Area$45,469$61,422—Hiring · 2
61. Lexington PDWinston-Salem Area$45,365$70,741—Hiring · 2
62. North Topsail Beach PDJacksonville Area$45,067$69,854—Hiring · 1
63. Warren County SheriffWarren County$44,500$56,395—Hiring · 1
64. Gaston County PDCharlotte Area$44,179$99,923—Hiring · 1
65. Shelby PDShelby Area$44,179$46,384—Hiring · 3
66. New Hanover County SheriffWilmington Area$44,152$75,059—Hiring · 2
67. Scotland County SheriffLaurinburg Area$43,780$48,158—Hiring · 2
68. Nash County SheriffRocky Mount Area$43,738$45,925—Hiring · 2
Starting pay is the lowest advertised full-time figure for a sworn officer in each department's current posting, annualized. Top pay and lateral start appear where the posting states them. Click a department for the quoted source line and verification date.

Starting pay by area in North Carolina

AreaMedian starting payDepartments with payOpen jobs
Raleigh Area$60,44069
Burlington Area$57,87559
Durham & Chapel Hill$57,640811
Charlotte Area$56,672813
Wilmington Area$54,555613
Winston-Salem Area$51,40347
Asheville Area$51,06434

Hiring bonuses in North Carolina

All North Carolina bonuses
  1. Wilmington PDLaterals$25,000
  2. Gastonia PDLaterals$15,000
  3. Durham PDNew officers · upon successful completion of the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) academy, and all three phases of field training$10,000
  4. Huntersville PDLaterals$6,000
  5. Fuquay-Varina PDEntry and lateral · after successful completion of field training$5,500

Related

Police jobs in North Carolina (121)Lateral police jobs in North CarolinaNorth Carolina departments that don't require college (51)All North Carolina departmentsStarting pay by state

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