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DeKalb 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.
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office starts at $57,919 a year — about $27.85 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $10,471 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $7,455 below the median for county agencies.
How big the department isDeKalb County Sheriff's Office reported 306 sworn officers and 203 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 DeKalb County says about itself
Our mission at the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office is to always demonstrate excellence, accountability and respect in our professional and personal lives. We are part of the community and value their expectations.
What DeKalb County does
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office states that Deputy Sheriffs protect life and property, deter criminal activity, serve court process, provide courtroom and jail support and execute arrests while enforcing local and state law.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 9 August 2026. DeKalb County Sheriff's Office — — open the source document
Current official career information verified 9 August 2026; starting salary $57,919
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 DeKalb 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. DeKalb County starts at $57,919, so $7,455 below the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a DeKalb County Sheriff's Office officer make?
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $57,919 a year, about $27.85 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 DeKalb County Sheriff's Office —.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Georgia?
It ranks #13 of 25 agencies we have verified in Georgia — 12 pay less, 12 pay more in the state — and #1,327 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $10,471 below, and against other county agencies $7,455 below.
Compare with another department
Put DeKalb 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 GA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs DeKalb | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandy Springs Police Department | Municipal | 149 | $71,686 | +$13,767 | #687 |
| 2 | Georgia Bureau of Investigation | State | 338 | $64,977 | +$7,058 | #1,027 |
| 3 | Georgia State Patrol | State | — | $63,684 | +$5,765 | #1,072 |
| 4 | South Fulton Police Department | Municipal | 213 | $63,440 | +$5,521 | #1,086 |
| 5 | Roswell Police Department | Municipal | 154 | $62,462 | +$4,543 | #1,135 |
| 6 | Savannah Police Department | Municipal | 425 | $61,989 | +$4,070 | #1,156 |
| 7 | Alpharetta Police Department | Municipal | 105 | $61,100 | +$3,181 | #1,190 |
| 8 | Atlanta Police Department | Municipal | 1,817 | $60,987 | +$3,068 | #1,196 |
| 9 | Snellville Police Department | Municipal | 50 | $60,905 | +$2,986 | #1,199 |
| 10 | Fulton County Sheriff's Office | County | 349 | $60,000 | +$2,081 | #1,240 |
| 11 | Fulton County Police Department | Municipal | 349 | $60,000 | +$2,081 | #1,249 |
| 12 | Athens-Clarke County Police Department | Municipal | 235 | $59,287 | +$1,368 | #1,275 |
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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