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Florence 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.

Florence Police Department starts at $52,040 a year — about $25.02 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $14,644 below the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $16,100 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 $55,510 would somewhere at average prices — $3,470 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 isFlorence Police Department reported 76 sworn officers and 14 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.9 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 41,133.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.

What Florence says about itself

The mission of the Florence Police Department is to improve the quality of life for our citizens through a community partnership that promotes safe, secure neighborhoods and businesses.

What Florence does

The Florence Police Department serves the City of Florence in Florence County, South Carolina.

Where the figure comes from

Checked 20 September 2026. City of Florence Police Department recruiting page, Class I Police Officer, certified rate — open the source document
No effective date published, read 20 September 2026. $49,562.30 before certification, $52,040.41 once certified (a stated 5% rise on academy graduation), and $54,642.45 for a uniformed patrol officer on the 84-hour fortnight - the same rate over more hours.
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 Florence sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.

LevelLowestMedianHighestAgencies
Municipal$33,280$68,140$163,6191549
County$35,000$63,565$132,263516
Special jurisdiction$31,200$60,204$107,95471
State$33,994$65,166$110,916145
Federal$70,477$73,502$86,5305
Territory$16,640$28,236$43,3549
What this shows

Federal agencies pay the most to start

The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $5,400 more than the middle municipal agency and about $9,900 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,300 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Florence starts at $52,040, so $16,100 below the municipal middle.

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How it ranks

Nationally #1,978of 2,288 agencies Top 86% of everything we have verified
In SC #18of 27 agencies 9 pay less, 17 pay more
Hourly to start $25on a 2,080-hour year Base pay only, before overtime or any differential

Common questions

How much does a Florence Police Department officer make?

Florence Police Department starts a new officer on $52,040 a year, about $25.02 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 of Florence Police Department recruiting page, Class I Police Officer, certified rate.

Is that good pay for a police officer in South Carolina?

It ranks #18 of 27 agencies we have verified in South Carolina — 9 pay less, 17 pay more in the state — and #1,978 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $14,644 below, and against other municipal agencies $16,100 below.

Compare with another department

Put Florence 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.

Compare Florence

The agencies either side of it

Other agencies in SC

Go
#AgencyLevelSworn #Entry payVs FlorenceNational
1Myrtle Beach Police DepartmentMunicipal215$66,747+$14,707#1,142
2North Myrtle Beach Police DepartmentMunicipal98$62,000+$9,960#1,449
3South Carolina Highway PatrolState1,004$61,908+$9,868#1,454
4Horry County Police DepartmentCounty—$61,800+$9,760#1,461
5Rock Hill Police DepartmentMunicipal148$61,331+$9,291#1,484
6York County Sheriff's OfficeCounty223$61,081+$9,041#1,496
7Mount Pleasant Police DepartmentMunicipal159$60,611+$8,571#1,526
8Greenville County Sheriff's OfficeCounty576$59,273+$7,233#1,618
9Charleston Police DepartmentMunicipal419$58,115+$6,075#1,671
10Greenville Police DepartmentMunicipal219$57,353+$5,313#1,739
11University of South Carolina Police DepartmentSpecial jurisdiction6$56,696+$4,656#1,767
12North Charleston Police DepartmentMunicipal308$56,078+$4,038#1,794

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