NYPD Police Officer salary: the figures and what they assume
New York City Police Department / DCAS · Exam No. 7313 · facts last checked August 9, 2026
Two numbers do most of the work in any conversation about this job, and the notice states both: a current minimum of $55,942 a year, rising through increments to $109,352 at the completion of five and one-half years of employment.
The second figure is the one worth dwelling on. It is the highest ceiling of any exam covered on this site, and it arrives faster than the ladder most civil-service titles climb. What follows is what sits on top of it, and what the figures assume.
What the notice actually states
The minimum salary is $55,942 per annum. Incumbents receive salary increments reaching $109,352 per annum at the completion of five and one-half years of employment. The notice adds that this rate is subject to change, which is not boilerplate — these figures move with the collective bargaining agreement rather than with the exam.
On top of base pay the notice names an annual uniform allowance, holiday pay, City contributions to the Welfare and Annuity Funds, and City-paid health insurance. It also states a 2.25% differential of base salary for neighbourhood policing.
The differential, and why percentages matter more later
A 2.25% differential is worth about $1,259 a year at the starting figure and about $2,460 at the ceiling. That is the general shape of percentage-based additions: they are modest at appointment and meaningful once the increments have run.
It is a reason to read a pay table across the whole five and a half years rather than at the point of entry. A comparison that stops at the starting salary systematically flatters titles with flat ladders and understates this one.
How it compares with the other exams on this site
School Safety Agent starts at $40,480 and reaches $58,345 after five years — a ceiling below this title's starting salary. Traffic Enforcement Agent starts at $48,719 at the assignment level candidates are appointed to. A New York State Court Officer-Trainee starts at $58,100, above Police Officer's minimum, and reaches $68,593 after the two-year traineeship.
So the court officer title pays more at the door and this one pays substantially more by year six. Which matters depends on how long you expect to stay, and that is a genuine decision rather than an obvious one.
What the salary does not tell you
The notice does not publish overtime rates, night differentials beyond the neighbourhood policing figure, or the pension contribution schedule. Those are set by contract and by the retirement system rather than by the exam notice, and a page that invented them would be guessing.
The probationary period is 24 months. Nothing in the notice ties pay steps to probation, but it is the period during which employment is least secure, and the increments quoted assume continuous employment.
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Questions candidates ask
How much does an NYPD police officer make?
The notice covering exams 7311–7322 states a current minimum salary of $55,942 per year, rising through increments to $109,352 at the completion of five and one-half years of employment. Both figures are stated to be subject to change.
How long does it take to reach top pay?
Five and one-half years of employment, per the notice. That is faster than most civil-service ladders and is the main reason the ceiling figure is worth weighing against titles that start higher.
What is the neighbourhood policing differential?
A 2.25% differential of base salary named in the notice. At the starting figure it is worth roughly $1,259 a year; at the ceiling, roughly $2,460.
Does an NYPD police officer earn more than a court officer?
Not at the start. A NYS Court Officer-Trainee starts at $58,100 against this title's $55,942. By the ceiling the position reverses sharply: $109,352 against $68,593.
Are there other allowances?
The notice names an annual uniform allowance, holiday pay, City contributions to the Welfare and Annuity Funds, and City-paid health insurance, alongside the neighbourhood policing differential.
Do these figures change?
Yes, and the notice says so. Salaries move with the collective bargaining agreement rather than with the exam, so the figures should be checked against the current notice before being relied on.
Where these facts come from
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each with the date we last opened it. Where a notice is the authority, it wins over anything written here.
- DCAS Notice of Examination — Police Officer, Exam Nos. 7311–7322 (PDF)
Checked August 9, 2026.
- DCAS — Take an Exam (official filing schedule)
Checked August 2, 2026.
- New York Civil Service Law § 61 — selection from an eligible list
Checked August 2, 2026.
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