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Muskegon 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.
Muskegon County Sheriff's Office starts at $63,565 a year — about $30.56 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $3,120 below the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $5 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI run about 7% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $68,705 would somewhere at average prices — $5,140 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 74 against a national average of 100, where goods are 94. 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 isMuskegon County Sheriff's Office reported 55 sworn officers and 69 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 Muskegon County says about itself
It is the mission of the Sheriff's Office to create a safe living environment for the citizens of Muskegon County.
What Muskegon County does
Muskegon County Sheriff's Office provides patrol, investigations, corrections, court-security, civil, marine and specialized public-safety services. Official County materials emphasize professional service, public safety and partnership with the community.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. Muskegon County official Sheriff Deputy FT posting — open the source document
The Recruit class is expressly non-sworn and has no police powers while attending the academy. The official 2026 Sheriff Deputy FT posting lists the sworn Deputy minimum at $30.56/hour, annualized at 2,080 hours to $63,564.80.
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 Muskegon 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 | $33,280 | $68,140 | $163,619 | 1549 |
| County | $35,000 | $63,565 | $132,263 | 516 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,204 | $107,954 | 71 |
| State | $33,994 | $65,166 | $110,916 | 145 |
| 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 $5,400 more than the middle municipal agency and about $9,900 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,300 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Muskegon County starts at $63,565, so $0 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Muskegon County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Muskegon County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $63,565 a year, about $30.56 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 Muskegon County official Sheriff Deputy FT posting.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Michigan?
It ranks #19 of 41 agencies we have verified in Michigan — 22 pay less, 18 pay more in the state — and #1,341 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $3,120 below, and against other county agencies $5 above.
Compare with another department
Put Muskegon 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 MI
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Muskegon | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Troy Police Department | Municipal | 110 | $78,224 | +$14,659 | #551 |
| 2 | Grand Rapids Police Department | Municipal | 299 | $77,467 | +$13,902 | #573 |
| 3 | Wyoming Police Department | Municipal | 97 | $75,400 | +$11,835 | #654 |
| 4 | Auburn Hills Police Department | Municipal | 48 | $71,863 | +$8,298 | #821 |
| 5 | Sumpter Township Police Department | Municipal | 18 | $71,732 | +$8,167 | #833 |
| 6 | Lincoln Charter Township Police Department | Municipal | — | $71,696 | +$8,131 | #835 |
| 7 | Macomb County Sheriff's Office | County | 274 | $71,098 | +$7,533 | #870 |
| 8 | Muskegon Police Department | Municipal | 70 | $69,888 | +$6,323 | #952 |
| 9 | Livonia Police Department | Municipal | 117 | $69,784 | +$6,219 | #955 |
| 10 | Dearborn Police Department | Municipal | 186 | $69,080 | +$5,515 | #986 |
| 11 | Plymouth Township Police Department | Municipal | 33 | $68,140 | +$4,575 | #1,043 |
| 12 | Oscoda Township Police Department | Municipal | 12 | $68,140 | +$4,575 | #1,044 |
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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