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New Jersey police officers now earn a median salary of more than six figures, according to state treasury data.

In Union County, the median salary for police officers is now $102,957, up from $85,228 in 2010. That's an increase in pay of more than $17,000 — or 21 percent — from six years ago.

Of Union County's 21 municipal police departments, all but five (Hillside, Roselle Park, Garwood, Plainfield and Winfield) had median salaries above $100,000 in 2016.

For all of N.J., the median salary for more than 19,000 municipal police officers was $105,106 as of the end of 2016, an increase of about $14,400, or 16 percent, from what it was in 2010.

Patrick Colligan, president of New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, said it's not unusual for police officers to now be paying over $1,000 a month for health care costs (since 2011), plus increased pension contributions. He said take-home pay for officers is down, and he has been seeing more officers leave for the private sector.

"We're not going to apologize for our salaries," he said. "Our officers have extraordinary jobs under extraordinary circumstances."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New Jersey patrol officers are the second-highest paid in the country, behind only California.

In urban communities with higher crime rates, however, officers are typically paid significantly less than their suburban counterparts.

Here, a look at the data, with Union County departments ranked in terms of their median salaries, from lowest to highest.

Reporter Carla Astudillo contributed to this story.

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21. Winfield

2016 median salary: $79,309

2010 median salary: $63,280

Salary difference: $16,029

Median years of service: 9.5

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20. Plainfield

2016 median salary: $92,544

2010 median salary: $83,400

Salary difference: $9,144

Median years of service: 16

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Police investigate a shooting in Plainfield.

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19. Garwood

2016 median salary: $96,956

2010 median salary: $82,552

Salary difference: $14,404

Median years of service: 10.5

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18. Roselle Park

2016 median salary: $98,392

2010 median salary: $84,158

Salary difference: $14,234

Median years of service: 11

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17. Hillside

2016 median salary: $99,332

2010 median salary: $92,734

Salary difference: $6,598

Median years of service: 13

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Clark Police respond to a crash into the Panda Express at the Clark Commons.

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16. Westfield

2016 median salary: $100,492

2010 median salary: $95,181

Salary difference: $5,311

Median years of service: 11

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15. Roselle

2016 median salary: $100,880

2010 median salary: $89,724

Salary difference: $11,156

Median years of service: 10.5

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14. Linden

2016 median salary: $102,112

2010 median salary: $85,500

Salary difference: $16,612

Median years of service: 13

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Linden Police respond to a bomb threat at Linden High.

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13. Elizabeth

2016 median salary: $102,278

2010 median salary: $86,220

Salary difference: $16,058

Median years of service: 18

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12. Union Township

2016 median salary: $103,179

2010 median salary: $89,304

Salary difference: $13,875

Median years of service: 15



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11. Clark

2016 median salary: $104,776

2010 median salary: $88,008

Salary difference: $16,768

Median years of service: 10

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10. Fanwood

2016 median salary: $105,332

2010 median salary: $93,984

Salary difference: $11,348

Median years of service: 16

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9. Springfield

2016 median salary: $106,652

2010 median salary: $97,136

Salary difference: $9,516

Median years of service: 11

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8. Cranford

2016 median salary: $106,788

2010 median salary: $94,422

Salary difference: $12,366

Median years of service: 14

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Police investigate a meth lab found in Springfield.

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7. Scotch Plains

2016 median salary: $109,099

2010 median salary: $99,096

Salary difference: $10,003

Median years of service: 15.5

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6. Rahway

2016 median salary: $110,632

2010 median salary: $92,160

Salary difference: $18,472

Median years of service: 18

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5. New Providence

2016 median salary: $110,696

2010 median salary: $93,612

Salary difference: $17,084

Median years of service: 14.5

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Union Police investigate a bank robbery.

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4. Kenilworth

2016 median salary: $111,064

2010 median salary: $90,352

Salary difference: $20,712

Median years of service: 16

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3. Berkeley Heights

2016 median salary: $114,993

2010 median salary: $98,977

Salary difference: $16,016

Median years of service: 14

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2. Summit

2016 median salary: $115,432

2010 median salary: $98,144

Salary difference: $17,288

Median years of service: 17

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1. Mountainside

2016 median salary: $121,644

2010 median salary: $97,612

Salary difference: $24,032

Median years of service: 21

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Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.