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Stafford 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.
Stafford County Sheriff's Office starts at $60,325 a year — about $29.00 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $8,065 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $5,050 below the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV run about 9% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $55,403 somewhere at average prices — $4,922 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 151 against a national average of 100, where goods are 105. 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 isStafford County Sheriff's Office reported 215 sworn officers and 76 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 Stafford County says about itself
We, the men and women of the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, in partnership with our community, are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life by maintaining order, protecting life and property, and reducing the fear of crime.
What Stafford County does
Stafford County Sheriff's Office provides patrol, criminal investigations, court-security, civil-process, emergency communications and specialized law-enforcement services. Official County materials emphasize professional service, public safety, integrity and partnership with the community.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Stafford County official GovernmentJobs posting — Deputy Sheriff, Field Operations — open the source document
Current official recruitment verified 8 August 2026; starting base $29.00/hour / $60,324.58 annually; no prior experience required
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 Stafford 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. Stafford County starts at $60,325, so $5,049 below the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Stafford County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Stafford County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $60,325 a year, about $29.00 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 Stafford County official GovernmentJobs posting — Deputy Sheriff, Field Operations.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Virginia?
It ranks #17 of 36 agencies we have verified in Virginia — 19 pay less, 16 pay more in the state — and #1,222 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $8,065 below, and against other county agencies $5,050 below.
Compare with another department
Put Stafford 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 VA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Stafford | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arlington County Police Department | County | 299 | $90,012 | +$29,687 | #215 |
| 2 | Falls Church Police Department | Municipal | 32 | $76,400 | +$16,075 | #496 |
| 3 | Alexandria Police Department | Municipal | 264 | $75,000 | +$14,675 | #560 |
| 4 | Fairfax County Police Department | County | 1,390 | $74,035 | +$13,710 | #593 |
| 5 | Prince William County Police Department | County | 656 | $74,000 | +$13,675 | #595 |
| 6 | Loudoun County Sheriff's Office | County | 648 | $70,955 | +$10,631 | #727 |
| 7 | Leesburg Police Department | Municipal | 74 | $68,500 | +$8,175 | #834 |
| 8 | Prince William County Sheriff's Office | County | 656 | $66,596 | +$6,271 | #941 |
| 9 | Henrico County Police Division | County | 628 | $65,959 | +$5,634 | #968 |
| 10 | Fairfax County Sheriff's Office | County | 433 | $64,997 | +$4,673 | #1,025 |
| 11 | Richmond Police Department | Municipal | 608 | $63,360 | +$3,035 | #1,091 |
| 12 | Hanover County Sheriff's Office | County | 247 | $63,345 | +$3,020 | #1,093 |
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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