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Lexington County Sheriff's 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.
Lexington County Sheriff's Department starts at $53,351 a year — about $25.65 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $15,039 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $12,023 below the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Columbia, SC run about 6% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $56,961 would somewhere at average prices — $3,610 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 79 against a national average of 100, where goods are 96. 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 isLexington County Sheriff's Department reported 296 sworn officers and 150 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 Lexington County
Lexington County Patrol Deputies enforce local, state and federal laws, patrol assigned county areas, respond to emergencies, arrest suspects, issue citations, transport prisoners, assist criminal investigations and prepare cases for prosecution
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. Lexington County Sheriff's Department Deputy (Patrol) and salary information pages — open the source document
Their source is effective 10 August 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 Lexington 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. Lexington County starts at $53,351, so $12,023 below the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Lexington County Sheriff's Department officer make?
Lexington County Sheriff's Department starts a new officer on $53,351 a year, about $25.65 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 Lexington County Sheriff's Department Deputy (Patrol) and salary information pages.
Is that good pay for a police officer in South Carolina?
It ranks #10 of 16 agencies we have verified in South Carolina — 6 pay less, 9 pay more in the state — and #1,489 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $15,039 below, and against other county agencies $12,023 below.
Compare with another department
Put Lexington County Sheriff's 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.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in SC
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Lexington | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myrtle Beach Police Department | Municipal | 215 | $66,747 | +$13,396 | #935 |
| 2 | South Carolina Highway Patrol | State | 1,004 | $60,761 | +$7,410 | #1,205 |
| 3 | North Myrtle Beach Police Department | Municipal | 98 | $60,000 | +$6,649 | #1,244 |
| 4 | Greenville County Sheriff's Office | County | 576 | $59,273 | +$5,922 | #1,277 |
| 5 | Greenville Police Department | Municipal | 219 | $57,353 | +$4,002 | #1,364 |
| 6 | University of South Carolina Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 6 | $56,696 | +$3,345 | #1,379 |
| 7 | Berkeley County Sheriff's Office | County | 305 | $54,878 | +$1,527 | #1,442 |
| 8 | Charleston County Sheriff's Office | County | — | $54,475 | +$1,124 | #1,454 |
| 9 | York County Sheriff's Office | County | 223 | $54,122 | +$771 | #1,460 |
| 11 | Horry County Police Department | County | 87 | $53,022 | −$329 | #1,496 |
| 12 | Beaufort County Sheriff's Office | County | 212 | $50,107 | −$3,244 | #1,560 |
| 13 | Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office | County | 333 | $49,942 | −$3,409 | #1,570 |
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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