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Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office starts at $76,357 a year — about $36.71 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $7,967 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $10,982 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 $72,183 somewhere at average prices — $4,174 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.
How big the department isJefferson County Sheriff's Office reported 365 sworn officers and 409 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 Jefferson County says about itself
We look forward to working alongside you as we fulfill our mission to protect, serve, and enforce - always in partnership with the community we are proud to call home.
What Jefferson County does
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office provides law-enforcement, detention, civil, court-security, emergency-management and specialized public-safety services. Official materials emphasize protecting life and property, professional service, integrity and collaboration with the community.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. Jefferson County Non-Exempt Pay Plan — open the source document
Their source is effective 3 May 2026.
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 Jefferson 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. Jefferson County starts at $76,357, so $10,983 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $76,357 a year, about $36.71 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 Jefferson County Non-Exempt Pay Plan.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Colorado?
It ranks #19 of 35 agencies we have verified in Colorado — 16 pay less, 18 pay more in the state — and #500 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $7,967 above, and against other county agencies $10,982 above.
Compare with another department
Put Jefferson 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 CO
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Jefferson | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado State Patrol | State | 706 | $91,620 | +$15,263 | #184 |
| 2 | Parker Police Department | Municipal | 89 | $89,898 | +$13,541 | #217 |
| 3 | Johnstown Police Department | Municipal | 26 | $86,944 | +$10,587 | #266 |
| 4 | Broomfield Police Department | Municipal | 135 | $86,029 | +$9,672 | #278 |
| 5 | Golden Police Department | Municipal | 53 | $85,321 | +$8,964 | #287 |
| 6 | Lakewood Police Department | Municipal | 274 | $85,093 | +$8,736 | #291 |
| 7 | Breckenridge Police Department | Municipal | 25 | $83,990 | +$7,634 | #310 |
| 8 | Thornton Police Department | Municipal | 243 | $82,992 | +$6,635 | #332 |
| 9 | Commerce City Police Department | Municipal | 109 | $82,327 | +$5,970 | #341 |
| 10 | Larimer County Sheriff's Office | County | 228 | $81,765 | +$5,408 | #353 |
| 11 | Westminster Police Department | Municipal | 187 | $80,746 | +$4,389 | #387 |
| 12 | Boulder County Sheriff's Office | County | 106 | $80,496 | +$4,139 | #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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