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South 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.
South San Francisco Police Department starts at $117,562 a year — about $56.52 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $49,172 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $46,297 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 $101,685 somewhere at average prices — $15,876 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 isSouth San Francisco Police Department reported 75 sworn officers and 33 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.2 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 64,363.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 South San Francisco says about itself
We are committed to proactively reducing crime, enhancing public safety, and addressing quality of life issues through education, enforcement and community partnerships.
What South San Francisco does
The South San Francisco Police Department states that its mission is to provide service in the most professional, courteous, and efficient manner possible. It says public safety and neighborhood quality of life are shared responsibilities and that the department seeks a partnership with the community based on trust and respect. The department emphasizes flexibility, high ethical standards, commitment to duty, and a broad range of police and community programs
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. City of South San Francisco FY2025-26 Wage and Salary Schedule plus official Pol — open the source document
Current FY2025-26 salary schedule lists sworn Police Officer Step 1 at $56.52/hour = $117,561.60 annually. The official Police Officer class description states no prior experience is required, supporting Step 1 as the zero-experience sworn entry rate
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 South 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. South San Francisco starts at $117,562, so $46,275 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a South San Francisco Police Department officer make?
South San Francisco Police Department starts a new officer on $117,562 a year, about $56.52 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 South San Francisco FY2025-26 Wage and Salary Schedule plus official Pol.
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #36 of 222 agencies we have verified in California — 186 pay less, 35 pay more in the state — and #37 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $49,172 above, and against other municipal agencies $46,297 above.
Compare with another department
Put South 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 South | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara Police Department | Municipal | 141 | $163,619 | +$46,058 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$31,881 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$30,381 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$26,442 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$25,534 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$23,462 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$22,178 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$21,403 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$20,699 | #9 |
| 10 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$14,701 | #10 |
| 11 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$14,474 | #11 |
| 12 | Campbell Police Department | Municipal | 44 | $131,747 | +$14,186 | #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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