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Jackson 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.
Jackson County Sheriff's Office starts at $56,846 a year — about $27.33 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $11,544 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $8,528 below the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Medford, OR run about 1% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $56,043 somewhere at average prices — $803 less than the headline figure. 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 isJackson County Sheriff's Office reported 123 sworn officers and 46 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 Jackson County says about itself
Serving our Community through values-oriented law enforcement: Character, Competence, Courage, Compassion. We are working hard every day to provide the most competent, courteous and effective law enforcement services in the country.
What Jackson County does
Criminal Deputies are sworn police officers who patrol county highways and waterways, enforce criminal, traffic, marine, game and park laws, respond to calls, investigate crimes and arrest violators
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. Jackson County official Criminal Deputy class specification — open the source document
The current official class specification lists $27.33-$34.88/hour. Minimum requirements are high school/equivalency, age/citizenship, driver's license, entry-level employment examination and the ability to receive Oregon DPSST certification. Prior police service and existing certification are not minimum requirements; lateral experience is listed only as preferred. Annualized minimum: $27.33 x 2,080 = $56,846.40 Jackson County's official Criminal Deputy specification states that the class serves as a sworn police officer, patrols county highways and waterways, enforces laws, investigates crimes and makes arrests
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.
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How this level compares
Where Jackson 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. Jackson County starts at $56,846, so $8,528 below the county middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Jackson County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Jackson County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $56,846 a year, about $27.33 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 Jackson County official Criminal Deputy class specification.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Oregon?
It ranks #44 of 46 agencies we have verified in Oregon — 2 pay less, 43 pay more in the state — and #1,372 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $11,544 below, and against other county agencies $8,528 below.
Compare with another department
Put Jackson 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 OR
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Jackson | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tigard Police Department | Municipal | 71 | $86,596 | +$29,750 | #271 |
| 2 | Bend Police Department | Municipal | 107 | $86,432 | +$29,585 | #273 |
| 3 | Washington County Sheriff's Office | County | 219 | $85,738 | +$28,891 | #280 |
| 4 | Gresham Police Department | Municipal | 123 | $84,968 | +$28,122 | #292 |
| 5 | Portland Police Bureau | Municipal | 809 | $84,000 | +$27,154 | #308 |
| 6 | Hillsboro Police Department | Municipal | 144 | $83,988 | +$27,142 | #311 |
| 7 | Corvallis Police Department | Municipal | 67 | $82,747 | +$25,901 | #337 |
| 8 | Lane County Sheriff's Office | County | 75 | $82,181 | +$25,334 | #344 |
| 9 | Multnomah County Sheriff's Office | County | 132 | $82,035 | +$25,189 | #348 |
| 10 | Tualatin Police Department | Municipal | 38 | $81,973 | +$25,126 | #349 |
| 11 | Oregon City Police Department | Municipal | 38 | $81,564 | +$24,718 | #359 |
| 12 | Salem Police Department | Municipal | 185 | $81,349 | +$24,502 | #366 |
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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