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Clinton Police Department 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.
Clinton Police Department starts at $45,000 a year — about $21.63 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $23,390 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $26,264 below the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in South Carolina run about 6% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $48,001 would somewhere at average prices — $3,001 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 80 against a national average of 100, where goods are 96. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro 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 isClinton Police Department reported 26 sworn officers and 1 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 3.3 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 7,910.A rate is only meaningful for a city department, where the population served is the city’s own. 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.
About Clinton
Clinton Police Department was created in 1852 and serves the city with 29 sworn officers out of 31 personnel, coordinating operations across four patrol shifts, each commanded by a lieutenant and a sergeant. It states its values as integrity, fairness, respect and professionalism
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $45,000 annual minimum. Official City Police Officer I recruitment opened 26 February 2026 publishes $45,000-$57,000 and invites candidates beginning a law-enforcement career, requiring only eligibility for South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy certification. — open the source document
$45,000 annual minimum. Official City Police Officer I recruitment opened 26 February 2026 publishes $45,000-$57,000 and invites candidates beginning a law-enforcement career, requiring only eligibility for South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy certification.
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 Clinton 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. Clinton starts at $45,000, so $26,287 below the municipal middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Clinton Police Department officer make?
Clinton Police Department starts a new officer on $45,000 a year, about $21.63 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 $45,000 annual minimum. Official City Police Officer I recruitment opened 26 February 2026 publishes $45,000-$57,000 and invites candidates beginning a law-enforcement career, requiring only eligibility for South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy certification..
Is that good pay for a police officer in South Carolina?
It ranks #16 of 16 agencies we have verified in South Carolina — 0 pay less, 15 pay more in the state — and #1,632 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $23,390 below, and against other municipal agencies $26,264 below.
Compare with another department
Put Clinton Police Department 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 SC
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Clinton | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myrtle Beach Police Department | Municipal | 215 | $66,747 | +$21,747 | #935 |
| 2 | South Carolina Highway Patrol | State | 1,004 | $60,761 | +$15,761 | #1,205 |
| 3 | North Myrtle Beach Police Department | Municipal | 98 | $60,000 | +$15,000 | #1,244 |
| 4 | Greenville County Sheriff's Office | County | 576 | $59,273 | +$14,273 | #1,277 |
| 5 | Greenville Police Department | Municipal | 219 | $57,353 | +$12,353 | #1,364 |
| 6 | University of South Carolina Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 6 | $56,696 | +$11,696 | #1,379 |
| 7 | Berkeley County Sheriff's Office | County | 305 | $54,878 | +$9,878 | #1,442 |
| 8 | Charleston County Sheriff's Office | County | — | $54,475 | +$9,475 | #1,454 |
| 9 | York County Sheriff's Office | County | 223 | $54,122 | +$9,122 | #1,460 |
| 10 | Lexington County Sheriff's Department | County | 296 | $53,351 | +$8,351 | #1,489 |
| 11 | Horry County Police Department | County | 87 | $53,022 | +$8,022 | #1,496 |
| 12 | Beaufort County Sheriff's Office | County | 212 | $50,107 | +$5,107 | #1,560 |
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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