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Denver Sheriff 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.
Denver Sheriff Department starts at $76,809 a year — about $36.93 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $8,419 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $11,435 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO run about 6% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $72,611 somewhere at average prices — $4,198 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 147 against a national average of 100, where goods are 101. 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.
What Denver says about itself
The Denver Sheriff Department is the largest sheriff department in the state of Colorado. We are committed to excellent community and customer service and to continuously building a smarter and exceptional agency.
What Denver does
Denver Sheriff Department describes itself as Colorado's largest sheriff department, with major operational responsibilities in detention, court and transportation settings as well as specialized and administrative functions. Its current academy posting emphasizes integrity, accountability, professionalism, dedication and public service.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. City and County of Denver official Workday posting — Deputy Sheriff August 2026 Academy — open the source document
Current official posting checked August 2026; Deputy Sheriff base salary range $76,809-$107,031; target pay $76,809; August 2026 academy; experience requirement: None
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 Denver 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. Denver starts at $76,809, so $11,435 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Denver Sheriff Department officer make?
Denver Sheriff Department starts a new officer on $76,809 a year, about $36.93 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 City and County of Denver official Workday posting — Deputy Sheriff August 2026 Academy.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Colorado?
It ranks #18 of 35 agencies we have verified in Colorado — 17 pay less, 17 pay more in the state — and #484 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $8,419 above, and against other county agencies $11,435 above.
Compare with another department
Put Denver Sheriff 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 CO
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Denver | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado State Patrol | State | 706 | $91,620 | +$14,811 | #184 |
| 2 | Parker Police Department | Municipal | 89 | $89,898 | +$13,089 | #217 |
| 3 | Johnstown Police Department | Municipal | 26 | $86,944 | +$10,135 | #266 |
| 4 | Broomfield Police Department | Municipal | 135 | $86,029 | +$9,220 | #278 |
| 5 | Golden Police Department | Municipal | 53 | $85,321 | +$8,512 | #287 |
| 6 | Lakewood Police Department | Municipal | 274 | $85,093 | +$8,284 | #291 |
| 7 | Breckenridge Police Department | Municipal | 25 | $83,990 | +$7,181 | #310 |
| 8 | Thornton Police Department | Municipal | 243 | $82,992 | +$6,183 | #332 |
| 9 | Commerce City Police Department | Municipal | 109 | $82,327 | +$5,518 | #341 |
| 10 | Larimer County Sheriff's Office | County | 228 | $81,765 | +$4,956 | #353 |
| 11 | Westminster Police Department | Municipal | 187 | $80,746 | +$3,937 | #387 |
| 12 | Boulder County Sheriff's Office | County | 106 | $80,496 | +$3,687 | #395 |
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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