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St. Mary's 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.
St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office starts at $71,011 a year — about $34.14 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $2,621 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $5,637 above the median for county agencies.
How big the department isSt. Mary's County Sheriff's Office reported 232 sworn officers and 108 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 St. Mary's County says about itself
It is the mission of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office to safeguard the lives and property of the people we serve, to reduce the incidence and fear of crime, and to enhance public safety while working with the diverse communities to improve their quality of life.
What St. Mary's County does
St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office provides county law-enforcement, corrections, court-security and specialized public-safety services. Official County materials emphasize professional service, public safety, integrity and partnership with residents and communities.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. St. Mary's County Government official GovernmentJobs posting — Deputy Sheriff - Law Enforcement — open the source document
Opening 1 July 2026; continuous; official annual salary $71,011.20; high school diploma/GED entry route; applicants must complete the 26-week Maryland Police Training Commission academy unless already eligible for recertification/comparative compliance; $15,000 sign-on bonus excluded
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 St. Mary's 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. St. Mary's County starts at $71,011, so $5,637 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office officer make?
St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $71,011 a year, about $34.14 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 St. Mary's County Government official GovernmentJobs posting — Deputy Sheriff - Law Enforcement.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Maryland?
It ranks #6 of 26 agencies we have verified in Maryland — 20 pay less, 5 pay more in the state — and #720 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $2,621 above, and against other county agencies $5,637 above.
Compare with another department
Put St. Mary's 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 MD
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs St. | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockville City Police Department | Municipal | — | $75,256 | +$4,245 | #547 |
| 2 | Maryland Transit Administration Police Force | State | — | $72,829 | +$1,818 | #635 |
| 3 | Anne Arundel County Police Department | Municipal | 82 | $72,802 | +$1,791 | #636 |
| 4 | Frederick Police Department | Municipal | 151 | $71,351 | +$340 | #703 |
| 5 | Maryland Transportation Authority Police | State | 392 | $71,258 | +$247 | #710 |
| 7 | Prince George's County Police Department | County | 1,343 | $70,257 | −$754 | #754 |
| 8 | Worcester County Sheriff's Office | County | 91 | $70,221 | −$790 | #757 |
| 9 | Wicomico County Sheriff's Office | County | 97 | $70,000 | −$1,011 | #768 |
| 10 | Gaithersburg Police Department | Municipal | 66 | $70,000 | −$1,011 | #771 |
| 11 | Maryland State Police | State | 1,434 | $69,360 | −$1,651 | #795 |
| 12 | Maryland Natural Resources Police | State | 263 | $68,673 | −$2,338 | #828 |
| 13 | Baltimore Police Department | Municipal | 2,051 | $68,359 | −$2,652 | #842 |
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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