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San Francisco 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.
San Francisco Police Department starts at $121,654 a year — about $58.49 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $53,264 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $50,390 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA run about 16% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $105,225 somewhere at average prices — $16,429 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 195 against a national average of 100, where goods are 108. 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 isSan Francisco Police Department reported 1,881 sworn officers and 927 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 2.3 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 815,330.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 San Francisco says about itself
San Francisco Police Department stands for safety with respect for all. We will engage in just, transparent, unbiased and responsive policing; do so in the spirit of dignity and in collaboration with the community; maintain and build trust and respect as the guardian of constitutional and human rights.
What San Francisco does
San Francisco Police Department states that its members are committed to excellence in law enforcement and dedicated to the people, traditions and diversity of the city, and that in order to protect life and property, prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime it will provide service with understanding, response with compassion, performance with integrity and law enforcement with vision. It names the protection of human life as its highest priority.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. City and County of San Francisco official Q002 Police Officer classification / Entry-Lev — 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 San Francisco 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. San Francisco starts at $121,654, so $50,367 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a San Francisco Police Department officer make?
San Francisco Police Department starts a new officer on $121,654 a year, about $58.49 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 and County of San Francisco official Q002 Police Officer classification / Entry-Lev.
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #26 of 222 agencies we have verified in California — 196 pay less, 25 pay more in the state — and #26 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $53,264 above, and against other municipal agencies $50,390 above.
Compare with another department
Put San Francisco 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 San | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara Police Department | Municipal | 141 | $163,619 | +$41,965 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$27,789 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$26,288 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$22,349 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$21,442 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$19,370 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$18,086 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$17,311 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$16,607 | #9 |
| 10 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$10,609 | #10 |
| 11 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$10,382 | #11 |
| 12 | Campbell Police Department | Municipal | 44 | $131,747 | +$10,093 | #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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