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San Francisco 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.
San Francisco Sheriff's Office starts at $120,562 a year — about $57.96 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $52,172 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $55,188 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA run about 16% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $104,281 somewhere at average prices — $16,281 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 Sheriff's Office reported 758 sworn officers and 175 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 San Francisco says about itself
The San Francisco Sheriff's Office works with the public, the criminal justice system, and community stakeholders to safeguard the lives, rights, and property of all people we serve. We strive to complete our mission in a manner that maintains the trust and confidence of the people of San Francisco.
What San Francisco does
The San Francisco Sheriff's Office says it works with the public, criminal-justice system and community stakeholders to safeguard the lives, rights and property of all people it serves. It aims to maintain public trust while keeping people safe in county jails, protected buildings and the community, supporting victims, providing mutual aid and offering education and job training that strengthens reentry and public safety.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. San Francisco Sheriff's Office official entry-level recruiting page — open the source document
Current official recruiting page verified 8 August 2026; entry-level Deputy Sheriff salary range $120,562–$146,354; FAQ states no prior law-enforcement experience is necessary and the Sheriff's Office provides academy training
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 $120,562, so $55,188 above the county middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a San Francisco Sheriff's Office officer make?
San Francisco Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $120,562 a year, about $57.96 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 San Francisco Sheriff's Office official entry-level recruiting page.
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #28 of 222 agencies we have verified in California — 194 pay less, 27 pay more in the state — and #28 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $52,172 above, and against other county agencies $55,188 above.
Compare with another department
Put San Francisco 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 CA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs San | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara Police Department | Municipal | 141 | $163,619 | +$43,057 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$28,881 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$27,380 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$23,441 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$22,534 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$20,462 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$19,178 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$18,403 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$17,699 | #9 |
| 10 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$11,701 | #10 |
| 11 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$11,474 | #11 |
| 12 | Campbell Police Department | Municipal | 44 | $131,747 | +$11,185 | #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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