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Mill Valley Police 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.
Mill Valley Police Department starts at $107,544 a year — about $51.70 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $39,154 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $36,280 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in California run about 11% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $97,132 somewhere at average prices — $10,412 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 159 against a national average of 100, where goods are 106. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro 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 isMill Valley Police Department reported 21 sworn officers and 7 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.5 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 13,830.A rate is only meaningful for a city department, where the population served is the city’s own. 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 Mill Valley says about itself
The Mill Valley Police Department's mission is to provide a safe and secure community for our residents and visitors; protect life and property; enforce the law in a transparent and equitable manner; and develop strong partnerships through community outreach, education, and collaboration.
What Mill Valley does
The Mill Valley Police Department says it is committed to providing exceptional public-safety service, education, and preparedness in partnership with the community. Its recruiting materials describe officers as trusted partners, problem-solvers, and visible leaders committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming city, while the department strives to develop professional, well-trained employees dedicated to high law-enforcement standards
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. City of Mill Valley Police Officer — open the source document
Their source is effective 1 July 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.
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How this level compares
Where Mill Valley 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. Mill Valley starts at $107,544, so $36,257 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Mill Valley Police Department officer make?
Mill Valley Police Department starts a new officer on $107,544 a year, about $51.70 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 City of Mill Valley Police Officer.
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #57 of 222 agencies we have verified in California — 165 pay less, 56 pay more in the state — and #60 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $39,154 above, and against other municipal agencies $36,280 above.
Compare with another department
Put Mill Valley Police 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 CA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Mill | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara Police Department | Municipal | 141 | $163,619 | +$56,075 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$41,899 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$40,398 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$36,459 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$35,552 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$33,480 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$32,196 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$31,421 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$30,717 | #9 |
| 10 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$24,719 | #10 |
| 11 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$24,492 | #11 |
| 12 | Campbell Police Department | Municipal | 44 | $131,747 | +$24,203 | #12 |
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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