Citizens interested in fighting crime within ranks of North Carolina law enforcement who are wondering what the average salary of a police officer is in North Carolina should know that the figure does vary depending on where in the state they reside.
While the average salary of a police officer in a detective, investigative or supervisory role is slightly higher than average in the state, officers on the beat have salaries that are considerably lower.
According to LawEnforcementEDU.net, the average salary of a police officer on patrol is about $39,000 in North Carolina.
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The area of Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia and North Carolina, has the highest number of employed officers. Wages in that department run higher with an average wage of $48,000.
In the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill area salaries are just slightly lower with a mean annual wage for patrol officers of almost $47,000.
Police officer average salaries in smaller cities and non-metropolitan areas are considerably lower. The hourly median wage is as low as $16.09 an hour in the western part of the state.
Detectives and supervisors make more money, but they are smaller percentage of the police force. In Greenville, North Carolina, there are 184 officers on the force; eighty are supervisors and detectives. The supervisors have an hourly mean wage about 23 percent higher than the force as a whole.
Officers with a bachelor’s degree or associates degree will earn 10 percent to 20 percent more than their coworkers who only have a high school education.
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Troopers in the State Highway Patrol got their first pay raise in five years in 2014. The state put a 2009 freeze on troopers' salaries and struggled to retain officers.
President of the North Carolina Troopers Association Trooper Daniel Jenkins Jr.
told The Charlotte Observer the 5 percent increase was a good first step from lawmakers. “We know the House and Senate struggled with this issue long and hard,” said Jenkins.
The salaries for North Carolina state troopers start at $34,000 and cannot be higher than $57,000.
North Carolina’s largest employer is the state government. The average salary of government workers as a whole is just under $45,000 a year.
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