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Franklin 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.
Franklin County Sheriff's Office starts at $65,374 a year — about $31.43 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $3,016 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and level with the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Columbus, OH run about 5% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $68,477 would somewhere at average prices — $3,103 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 88 against a national average of 100, where goods are 94. 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 isFranklin County Sheriff's Office reported 588 sworn officers and 788 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 Franklin County says about itself
It is the mission of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office to protect the lives and property of the citizens of Franklin County, to preserve the peace, and to prevent crime and disorder while constantly guarding personal liberties as prescribed by law.
What Franklin County does
Franklin County Sheriff's Office provides law-enforcement, corrections, court-security, civil and specialized public-safety services. Official County materials emphasize professional service, integrity, safety and partnership with the community.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Franklin County Sheriff's Office official recruiting FAQ — open the source document
Official 2026 wage table; Deputy 1 first-year rate $31.43/hour / $65,374.40 annually; source identifies this as the starting salary after cadet training
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 Franklin 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. Franklin County starts at $65,374, so $0 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Franklin County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Franklin County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $65,374 a year, about $31.43 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 Franklin County Sheriff's Office official recruiting FAQ.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Ohio?
It ranks #31 of 40 agencies we have verified in Ohio — 9 pay less, 30 pay more in the state — and #999 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $3,016 below, and against other county agencies level with.
Compare with another department
Put Franklin 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 OH
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Franklin | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westlake Police Department | Municipal | — | $88,712 | +$23,338 | #236 |
| 2 | University Heights Police Department | Municipal | 29 | $82,259 | +$16,885 | #343 |
| 3 | Powell Police Department | Municipal | 21 | $81,426 | +$16,052 | #364 |
| 4 | Stow Police Department | Municipal | 45 | $80,288 | +$14,914 | #404 |
| 5 | Cincinnati Police Department | Municipal | 971 | $79,359 | +$13,985 | #423 |
| 6 | Canfield Police Department | Municipal | 21 | $79,002 | +$13,628 | #428 |
| 7 | Mentor Police Department | Municipal | — | $77,849 | +$12,474 | #461 |
| 8 | Beavercreek Police Department | Municipal | 53 | $76,918 | +$11,544 | #482 |
| 9 | Grandview Heights Division of Police | Municipal | 24 | $76,708 | +$11,333 | #487 |
| 10 | Shaker Heights Police Department | Municipal | 68 | $76,566 | +$11,192 | #493 |
| 11 | Centerville Police Department | Municipal | 37 | $75,608 | +$10,234 | #533 |
| 12 | Delaware Police Department | Municipal | 56 | $75,254 | +$9,880 | #548 |
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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