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Washoe 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.
Washoe County Sheriff's Office starts at $75,296 a year — about $36.20 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $6,906 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $9,922 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Reno, NV run about 1% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $74,540 somewhere at average prices — $756 less than the headline figure. That average hides a wide spread: rent at 123, where goods are 96. 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 isWashoe County Sheriff's Office reported 465 sworn officers and 314 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.
About Washoe County
Washoe County describes its Sheriff's Office as a modern, dedicated, community-oriented law-enforcement agency responsible for patrol in unincorporated areas, civil process, records, court security, forensic and criminal investigations, search and rescue and the county's adult detention facility. Its mission is to earn public confidence through high-quality law-enforcement, detention and support services.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 10 August 2026. Washoe County official Deputy Sheriff recruitment — open the source document
The published $54,579.20 is the Deputy Sheriff Recruit academy classification. Washoe County separately recruits for Deputy Sheriff, which performs the full range of police duties and starts at $75,296 annually.
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 Washoe 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. Washoe County starts at $75,296, so $9,922 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Washoe County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Washoe County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $75,296 a year, about $36.20 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 Washoe County official Deputy Sheriff recruitment.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Nevada?
It ranks #3 of 19 agencies we have verified in Nevada — 16 pay less, 2 pay more in the state — and #546 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $6,906 above, and against other county agencies $9,922 above.
Compare with another department
Put Washoe 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 NV
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Washoe | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada Gaming Control Board — Enforcement Division | State | 63 | $102,692 | +$27,396 | #79 |
| 2 | Boulder City Police Department | Municipal | 35 | $75,941 | +$645 | #522 |
| 4 | Henderson Police Department | Municipal | 534 | $71,885 | −$3,411 | #672 |
| 5 | Reno Police Department | Municipal | 336 | $68,890 | −$6,406 | #820 |
| 6 | North Las Vegas Police Department | Municipal | 315 | $68,099 | −$7,197 | #856 |
| 7 | Nevada State Police — Highway Patrol | State | — | $67,939 | −$7,357 | #866 |
| 8 | Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department | Municipal | 3,226 | $67,662 | −$7,634 | #881 |
| 9 | Douglas County Sheriff's Office | County | 104 | $66,851 | −$8,445 | #926 |
| 10 | Clark County Office of Public Safety | Municipal | — | $64,022 | −$11,274 | #1,059 |
| 11 | Nevada Department of Agriculture — Agricultural Police | State | — | $60,636 | −$14,660 | #1,206 |
| 12 | City of Las Vegas Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 109 | $58,912 | −$16,384 | #1,291 |
| 13 | Nevada Department of Wildlife — Law Enforcement Division | State | — | $57,637 | −$17,659 | #1,353 |
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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