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York 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.
York County Sheriff's Office starts at $58,344 a year — about $28.05 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $10,046 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $7,030 below the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in York-Hanover, PA run about 4% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $60,775 would somewhere at average prices — $2,431 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 80 against a national average of 100, where goods are 101. 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 isYork County Sheriff's Office reported 107 sworn officers and 21 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 York County says about itself
The Mission of the York County Sheriff's Office shall be to serve and support the citizens of York County and the Justice System through efficacy and professionalism; to provide care and secure custody of detainees, security of Courthouse facilities, the safety of employees and citizens; and, to serve warrants and civil process in a diligent manner while protecting and respecting the rights of all.
What York County does
York County Sheriff's Office provides court security, civil-process service, warrants, prisoner transportation and other law-enforcement functions supporting the county courts. Official County materials emphasize professional, secure and accountable service.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. County official page; $28.05/hr annualized at 2,080 hrs — open the source document
2026 employment card/current page
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 York 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. York County starts at $58,344, so $7,030 below the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a York County Sheriff's Office officer make?
York County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $58,344 a year, about $28.05 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 County official page; $28.05/hr annualized at 2,080 hrs.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Pennsylvania?
It ranks #10 of 23 agencies we have verified in Pennsylvania — 13 pay less, 9 pay more in the state — and #1,303 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $10,046 below, and against other county agencies $7,030 below.
Compare with another department
Put York 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 PA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs York | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abington Township Police Department | Municipal | — | $103,421 | +$45,077 | #71 |
| 2 | Lower Merion Township Police Department | Municipal | 118 | $90,162 | +$31,818 | #212 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania State Police | State | 4,634 | $73,087 | +$14,743 | #624 |
| 4 | Philadelphia Police Department | Municipal | 5,065 | $72,651 | +$14,307 | #643 |
| 5 | Allentown Police Department | Municipal | 215 | $72,607 | +$14,263 | #645 |
| 6 | Manheim Township Police Department | Municipal | 63 | $72,334 | +$13,990 | #651 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Bureau of Police | Municipal | — | $68,952 | +$10,608 | #817 |
| 8 | Gettysburg Borough Police Department | Municipal | — | $63,232 | +$4,888 | #1,101 |
| 9 | Northampton County Sheriff's Department | County | 59 | $60,606 | +$2,262 | #1,209 |
| 11 | Harrisburg Bureau of Police | Municipal | — | $58,100 | −$244 | #1,316 |
| 12 | Lancaster County Sheriff's Office | County | 55 | $57,803 | −$541 | #1,338 |
| 13 | Chester County Sheriff's Office | County | 59 | $57,720 | −$624 | #1,344 |
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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