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Rice 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.
Rice County Sheriff's Office starts at $79,955 a year — about $38.44 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $11,565 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $14,581 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in rural Minnesota run about 14% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $93,131 would somewhere at average prices — $13,176 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 58 against a national average of 100, where goods are 96. Based on price levels for the non-metropolitan part of this state, because this agency is outside every 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 isRice County Sheriff's Office reported 33 sworn officers and 38 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 Rice County
Rice County describes the Sheriff Patrol Deputy as providing law-enforcement services to county residents through criminal patrol, investigations, traffic and recreational enforcement, court-related duties and mutual-aid response while protecting and serving the public around the clock.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Rice County official GovernmentJobs posting — — open the source document
Opening 27 July 2026; closes 10 August 2026; official hiring minimum $38.44
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 Rice 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. Rice County starts at $79,955, so $14,581 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Rice County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Rice County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $79,955 a year, about $38.44 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 Rice County official GovernmentJobs posting —.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Minnesota?
It ranks #58 of 100 agencies we have verified in Minnesota — 42 pay less, 57 pay more in the state — and #412 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $11,565 above, and against other county agencies $14,581 above.
Compare with another department
Put Rice 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 MN
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Rice | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blaine Police Department | Municipal | 80 | $101,733 | +$21,778 | #86 |
| 2 | Stillwater Police Department | Municipal | 26 | $94,328 | +$14,373 | #152 |
| 3 | Columbia Heights Police Department | Municipal | 29 | $93,725 | +$13,770 | #157 |
| 4 | Carver County Sheriff's Office | County | 77 | $93,683 | +$13,728 | #158 |
| 5 | Oakdale Police Department | Municipal | 39 | $93,538 | +$13,582 | #161 |
| 6 | Richfield Police Department | Municipal | 45 | $93,226 | +$13,270 | #163 |
| 7 | Maplewood Police Department | Municipal | 56 | $93,038 | +$13,083 | #167 |
| 8 | Forest Lake Police Department | Municipal | 20 | $92,789 | +$12,834 | #169 |
| 9 | Apple Valley Police Department | Municipal | 59 | $92,768 | +$12,813 | #170 |
| 10 | Coon Rapids Police Department | Municipal | 73 | $92,123 | +$12,168 | #179 |
| 11 | Saint Paul Police Department | Municipal | 562 | $91,291 | +$11,336 | #188 |
| 12 | Woodbury Police Department | Municipal | 80 | $91,187 | +$11,232 | #190 |
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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