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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 $54,122 a year — about $26.02 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $14,268 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $11,253 below the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC run about 3% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $55,596 would somewhere at average prices — $1,474 more than the headline figure. That average hides a wide spread: utilities at 89, where goods are 97. 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 223 sworn officers and 149 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
We, the men and women of the York County Sheriff's Office, realize that we have been entrusted with providing the highest quality of service for the citizens of York County. We understand that we are a full service organization working together with the citizens to enhance the quality of life in York County.
What York County does
York County says its Sheriff's Office provides law-enforcement protection through Enforcement and Detention divisions. Enforcement includes uniform and field services, criminal investigations, support and administration, while Detention is responsible for incarceration of people awaiting trial and those serving qualifying sentences.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 21 August 2026. York County Government official GovernmentJobs posting — Deputy Sheriff — open the source document
$54,121.60. York County’s own Deputy Sheriff posting, open 9 January to 31 December 2026, prices Deputy I at $26.02 an hour; $26.02 x 2,080 = $54,121.60. Class: Deputy I at the hire rate | Post-academy: the posting states an official 2.5% increase AFTER academy and field training. CORRECTION: the row previously carried $55,474.64, which was that 2.5% applied by us to the hire rate — a later step, not a published starting figure.
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 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 $54,122, so $11,252 below the county middle.
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 $54,122 a year, about $26.02 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 York County Government official GovernmentJobs posting — Deputy Sheriff.
Is that good pay for a police officer in South Carolina?
It ranks #9 of 16 agencies we have verified in South Carolina — 7 pay less, 8 pay more in the state — and #1,460 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $14,268 below, and against other county agencies $11,253 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 SC
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs York | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myrtle Beach Police Department | Municipal | 215 | $66,747 | +$12,626 | #935 |
| 2 | South Carolina Highway Patrol | State | 1,004 | $60,761 | +$6,639 | #1,205 |
| 3 | North Myrtle Beach Police Department | Municipal | 98 | $60,000 | +$5,878 | #1,244 |
| 4 | Greenville County Sheriff's Office | County | 576 | $59,273 | +$5,151 | #1,277 |
| 5 | Greenville Police Department | Municipal | 219 | $57,353 | +$3,232 | #1,364 |
| 6 | University of South Carolina Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 6 | $56,696 | +$2,574 | #1,379 |
| 7 | Berkeley County Sheriff's Office | County | 305 | $54,878 | +$756 | #1,442 |
| 8 | Charleston County Sheriff's Office | County | — | $54,475 | +$353 | #1,454 |
| 10 | Lexington County Sheriff's Department | County | 296 | $53,351 | −$771 | #1,489 |
| 11 | Horry County Police Department | County | 87 | $53,022 | −$1,100 | #1,496 |
| 12 | Beaufort County Sheriff's Office | County | 212 | $50,107 | −$4,014 | #1,560 |
| 13 | Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office | County | 333 | $49,942 | −$4,180 | #1,570 |
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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