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Washington 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.
Washington County Sheriff's Office starts at $85,738 a year — about $41.22 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $17,348 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $20,363 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA run about 5% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $81,329 somewhere at average prices — $4,409 less than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 125 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 isWashington County Sheriff's Office reported 219 sworn officers and 337 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 Washington County says about itself
The mission of the Washington County Sheriff's Office is conserving the peace through values driven service. Our vision is enhancing public safety by fostering a culture of professionalism, compassion and trust within the communities we serve and our Sheriff's Office team.
What Washington County does
Washington County Sheriff's Office provides law-enforcement services through patrol, investigations, jail operations, court security, civil services and specialized teams. Official County materials emphasize public safety, professional service, accountability and community partnership.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Washington County, Oregon official class specification — Enforcement Deputy — open the source document
Revision date 5 February 2026; $41.22/hour minimum annualized at 2,080 hours
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 Washington 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. Washington County starts at $85,738, so $20,364 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Washington County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Washington County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $85,738 a year, about $41.22 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 Washington County, Oregon official class specification — Enforcement Deputy.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Oregon?
It ranks #3 of 46 agencies we have verified in Oregon — 43 pay less, 2 pay more in the state — and #280 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $17,348 above, and against other county agencies $20,363 above.
Compare with another department
Put Washington 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 OR
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Washington | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tigard Police Department | Municipal | 71 | $86,596 | +$859 | #271 |
| 2 | Bend Police Department | Municipal | 107 | $86,432 | +$694 | #273 |
| 4 | Gresham Police Department | Municipal | 123 | $84,968 | −$770 | #292 |
| 5 | Portland Police Bureau | Municipal | 809 | $84,000 | −$1,738 | #308 |
| 6 | Hillsboro Police Department | Municipal | 144 | $83,988 | −$1,750 | #311 |
| 7 | Corvallis Police Department | Municipal | 67 | $82,747 | −$2,991 | #337 |
| 8 | Lane County Sheriff's Office | County | 75 | $82,181 | −$3,557 | #344 |
| 9 | Multnomah County Sheriff's Office | County | 132 | $82,035 | −$3,702 | #348 |
| 10 | Tualatin Police Department | Municipal | 38 | $81,973 | −$3,765 | #349 |
| 11 | Oregon City Police Department | Municipal | 38 | $81,564 | −$4,174 | #359 |
| 12 | Salem Police Department | Municipal | 185 | $81,349 | −$4,389 | #366 |
| 13 | Canby Police Department | Municipal | 28 | $80,883 | −$4,855 | #384 |
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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