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Waukesha 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.
Waukesha County Sheriff's Office starts at $76,128 a year — about $36.60 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $7,738 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $10,754 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI run about 3% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $78,533 would somewhere at average prices — $2,405 more than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 92 against a national average of 100, where goods are 94. 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 isWaukesha County Sheriff's Office reported 158 sworn officers and 151 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 Waukesha County says about itself
The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office shall serve all citizens of Waukesha County by maintaining and providing the quality means and services necessary to protect life and property through the fair and impartial enforcement of federal, state and local laws. To preserve the safety and security of the community, the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office shall make every effort to provide the citizens of Waukesha County with the best law enforcement services possible and shall endeavor to treat all citizens with dignity and respect.
What Waukesha County does
Waukesha County Sheriff's Office describes itself as the county's largest law-enforcement agency and a major provider of direct police services, responding to tens of thousands of calls for service annually. The Office emphasizes honesty, integrity, diversity, professional service and strong bonds with the community.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Waukesha County Sheriff's Office official Becoming a Deputy page + County Workday Law Enforcemen — open the source document
Their source is effective 27 December 2025.
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 Waukesha 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. Waukesha County starts at $76,128, so $10,754 above the county middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Waukesha County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Waukesha County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $76,128 a year, about $36.60 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 Waukesha County Sheriff's Office official Becoming a Deputy page + County Workday Law Enforcemen.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Wisconsin?
It ranks #6 of 74 agencies we have verified in Wisconsin — 68 pay less, 5 pay more in the state — and #505 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $7,738 above, and against other county agencies $10,754 above.
Compare with another department
Put Waukesha 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 WI
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Waukesha | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menomonee Falls Police Department | Municipal | 59 | $82,618 | +$6,490 | #339 |
| 2 | Fitchburg Police Department | Municipal | 50 | $78,790 | +$2,662 | #432 |
| 3 | Brookfield Police Department | Municipal | 80 | $78,666 | +$2,538 | #438 |
| 4 | Cedarburg Police Department | Municipal | 24 | $77,561 | +$1,433 | #469 |
| 5 | Stoughton Police Department | Municipal | 23 | $76,378 | +$250 | #498 |
| 7 | River Falls Police Department | Municipal | 27 | $75,525 | −$603 | #535 |
| 8 | Grafton Police Department | Municipal | 22 | $75,102 | −$1,026 | #555 |
| 9 | Dodge County Sheriff's Office | County | 64 | $75,088 | −$1,040 | #556 |
| 10 | St. Croix County Sheriff's Office | County | 98 | $74,695 | −$1,433 | #568 |
| 11 | Kenosha Police Department | Municipal | 231 | $74,640 | −$1,488 | #572 |
| 12 | Glendale Police Department | Municipal | 39 | $74,040 | −$2,088 | #592 |
| 13 | Washburn County Sheriff's Office | County | 22 | $72,696 | −$3,432 | #642 |
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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