How to become a state trooper in North Carolina
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol hires state troopers under the title Trooper. New state troopers start at $63,250 a year, rising to $92,290 after about 6 years. You must be at least 21.
Pay
| Starting salary | $63,250 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | $92,290 |
| Years to top | 6 |
| Scale effective | 2026-07-01 |
NCSHP experience-based schedule effective July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027: Cadet $51,852; hybrid cadets rise to $60,238 on starting Basic Patrol School; upon graduation $63,250; Year 1 $67,361; Year 2 $71,739; Year 3 $76,403; Year 4 $81,368; Year 5 $86,657; Year 6+ $92,290.
Source:[ncshp.gov]
Pay for this work across North Carolina
Federal survey figures for police and sheriff's patrol officers in North Carolina, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from the state's own pay scale above.
| People in this work | 22,370 |
|---|---|
| Lower pay (10th percentile) | $46,040 |
| Median pay | $59,300 |
| Higher pay (90th percentile) | $80,240 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]
Requirements
- Minimum age: 21
- Education: Graduate of an accredited high school or GED equivalent
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen and North Carolina legal resident by the time you report to Basic School
- At least 21 and not yet 40 by the first day of Basic School
- No license suspension/revocation offense in the 2 years before applying, no active suspension, and no more than 8 driver's license points in the prior 3 years
- No conviction or plea beyond a minor misdemeanor
- Vision 20/30 in each eye or correctable as specified
- Reading comprehension at or above 10th-grade level
- Must be willing to live and work anywhere in North Carolina
Source:[ncshp.gov]
Hiring process
- Apply online
- Submit required documents to recruiter
- Polygraph examination
- Background investigation including First Sergeant interview
- Conditional offer of employment from Human Resources
- Medical and psychological testing
- Physical fitness and cognitive testing
- Colonel's review and final offer
Source:[ncshp.gov]
Academy
16 weeks, paid. Basic Short School (already BLET-certified): estimated 16-week basic patrol school at the training academy in Raleigh. Basic Hybrid School: uncertified cadets first complete BLET full-time at a community college and pass the state exam, then attend the 16-week patrol school. Cadets are paid (cadet salary $51,852). The careers page lists reading comprehension and cognitive tests but no named written exam. Residential status not stated.[ncshp.gov]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System of North Carolina (TSERS), law enforcement officer provisions
- Benefit formula: 1.82% x four-year average final compensation (AFC) x years of creditable service; reduced for early retirement
- When you can retire: Unreduced: age 55 with 5 years of creditable service as an officer, or 30 years at any age; reduced: age 50 with 15 years as an officer
Sworn LEOs also get a required employer contribution of 5% of compensation to the NC 401(k) and a special separation allowance (0.85% x annual base rate x years of service) when eligible (30 years, or age 55 with 5 years), per the 2026 Retirement Systems public safety benefits inventory.
Source:[myncretirement.gov]