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Hernando 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.
Hernando County Sheriff's Office starts at $60,822 a year — about $29.24 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $7,568 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $4,552 below the median for county agencies.
How big the department isHernando County Sheriff's Office reported 309 sworn officers and 369 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.
About Hernando County
Hernando County Sheriff's Office says it seeks highly motivated individuals to serve as Deputies under Law Enforcement Operations, and that its Deputy in Training position is a civilian academy-sponsorship role preparing a member to become eligible for a certified law-enforcement position.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. Hernando County Sheriff's Office official Join Our Family careers page — open the source document
2026 page; Certified Deputy Sheriff in Law Enforcement Operations starts at $60,822. The civilian Deputy in Training academy-sponsorship rate is separate at $49,000.
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 Hernando 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. Hernando County starts at $60,822, so $4,552 below the county middle.
How it ranks
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Common questions
How much does a Hernando County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Hernando County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $60,822 a year, about $29.24 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 Hernando County Sheriff's Office official Join Our Family careers page.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Florida?
It ranks #91 of 141 agencies we have verified in Florida — 50 pay less, 90 pay more in the state — and #1,203 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $7,568 below, and against other county agencies $4,552 below.
Compare with another department
Put Hernando 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 FL
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Hernando | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boca Raton Police Services Department | Municipal | 195 | $86,674 | +$25,852 | #270 |
| 2 | Fort Lauderdale Police Department | Municipal | 565 | $81,723 | +$20,901 | #354 |
| 3 | Plantation Police Department | Municipal | 164 | $81,000 | +$20,178 | #379 |
| 4 | Pinecrest Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $80,912 | +$20,090 | #383 |
| 5 | Sunny Isles Beach Police Department | Municipal | 65 | $80,000 | +$19,178 | #411 |
| 6 | Aventura Police Department | Municipal | 91 | $78,556 | +$17,734 | #441 |
| 7 | Coral Springs Police Department | Municipal | 222 | $77,516 | +$16,694 | #470 |
| 8 | Boynton Beach Police Department | Municipal | 173 | $76,650 | +$15,828 | #490 |
| 9 | North Palm Beach Police Department | Municipal | 37 | $76,378 | +$15,556 | #497 |
| 10 | Naples Police Department | Municipal | 74 | $76,320 | +$15,498 | #501 |
| 11 | West Palm Beach Police Department | Municipal | 295 | $75,921 | +$15,099 | #524 |
| 12 | Bay Harbor Islands Police Department | Municipal | 24 | $75,836 | +$15,014 | #528 |
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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