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Baltimore County Sheriff's Office entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
Baltimore County Sheriff's Office starts at $59,683 a year — about $28.69 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $8,707 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $5,691 below the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD run about 4% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $57,120 somewhere at average prices — $2,563 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 118 against a national average of 100, where goods are 102. Based on price levels for this metropolitan area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.
How big the department isBaltimore County Sheriff's Office reported 55 sworn officers and 10 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025.No rate is shown: this agency does not police a single population the FBI publishes a figure for. Reporting to the FBI is voluntary, so a count can reflect a partial return as easily as a small agency, and the FBI asks that agencies not be compared on staffing. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Full-time Law Enforcement Employees, 2025.
What Baltimore County says about itself
One of the official landmarks of the 1814 Battle of North Point is the Daniel Wells and Henry G. McComas Battle monument. The Office of the Sheriff noted the historical significance of their service and this monument by placing an image of that monument on the shoulder patch. This has been a proud part of the uniform since its inception.
What Baltimore County does
Baltimore County Sheriff's Office provides court security, civil and criminal process, prisoner transportation, warrant service and other law-enforcement functions supporting the Circuit Court and county justice system. Official County materials emphasize professional and secure public service.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Baltimore County official GovernmentJobs posting — Deputy Sheriff (Entry Level) — open the source document
Opening 22 January 2026; closing Continuous; official annual base $59,683-$75,758; $6,000 hiring bonus excluded
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
How this level compares
Where Baltimore County sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $35,006 | $71,287 | $163,619 | 1046 |
| County | $36,492 | $65,374 | $132,263 | 416 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,195 | $107,954 | 69 |
| State | $33,994 | $64,998 | $102,692 | 143 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $2,200 more than the middle municipal agency and about $8,100 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,500 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Baltimore County starts at $59,683, so $5,691 below the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Baltimore County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Baltimore County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $59,683 a year, about $28.69 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from Baltimore County official GovernmentJobs posting — Deputy Sheriff (Entry Level).
Is that good pay for a police officer in Maryland?
It ranks #23 of 26 agencies we have verified in Maryland — 3 pay less, 22 pay more in the state — and #1,262 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $8,707 below, and against other county agencies $5,691 below.
Compare with another department
Put Baltimore County Sheriff's Office side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in MD
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Baltimore | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockville City Police Department | Municipal | — | $75,256 | +$15,573 | #547 |
| 2 | Maryland Transit Administration Police Force | State | — | $72,829 | +$13,146 | #635 |
| 3 | Anne Arundel County Police Department | Municipal | 82 | $72,802 | +$13,119 | #636 |
| 4 | Frederick Police Department | Municipal | 151 | $71,351 | +$11,668 | #703 |
| 5 | Maryland Transportation Authority Police | State | 392 | $71,258 | +$11,575 | #710 |
| 6 | St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office | County | 167 | $71,011 | +$11,328 | #720 |
| 7 | Prince George's County Police Department | County | 1,343 | $70,257 | +$10,574 | #754 |
| 8 | Worcester County Sheriff's Office | County | 91 | $70,221 | +$10,538 | #757 |
| 9 | Wicomico County Sheriff's Office | County | 97 | $70,000 | +$10,317 | #768 |
| 10 | Gaithersburg Police Department | Municipal | 66 | $70,000 | +$10,317 | #771 |
| 11 | Maryland State Police | State | 1,434 | $69,360 | +$9,677 | #795 |
| 12 | Maryland Natural Resources Police | State | 263 | $68,673 | +$8,990 | #828 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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