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Police captain salary in California, 2025

What police and sheriff captains were paid at 80 California departments with three or more of them on the payroll for the full year.

Median total pay for captains at the middle department
$277,822

El Dorado County Sheriff, overtime included. The highest is $440,192 at Hayward Police and the lowest $169,503 at Fresno County Sheriff.

Captain total pay: the 30 highest

Hayward Police$440,192
Inglewood Police$393,456
Culver City Police$381,125
San Jose Police$368,876
Torrance Police$367,978
Riverside Police$352,534
Santa Clara Police$352,114
Alameda Police$348,529
Richmond Police$345,308
Milpitas Police$342,090
Mountain View Police$338,814
Ontario Police$335,782
Santa Ana Police$334,469
Huntington Beach Police$331,442
Fremont Police$331,161
Tustin Police$325,503
Los Angeles Police$323,406
Santa Monica Police$322,517
Orange Police$320,117
Livermore Police$319,202
Anaheim Police$315,990
Tracy Police$315,230
San Bernardino Police$314,545
Fairfield Police$313,953
San Mateo County Sheriff$309,453
Montebello Police$302,370
San Mateo Police$300,848
San Bernardino County Sheriff$300,026
Garden Grove Police$297,168
Corona Police$294,832

Median total pay for captains paid for the full year, overtime included.

Captain regular pay: the 30 highest

Milpitas Police$317,403
Santa Clara Police$314,752
Fremont Police$301,569
Mountain View Police$295,081
Hayward Police$293,459
Livermore Police$279,078
Anaheim Police$277,138
San Mateo County Sheriff$268,408
Los Angeles Police$268,390
Riverside Police$267,504
Alameda Police$264,756
Redondo Beach Police$255,387
San Bernardino Police$254,125
Arcadia Police$252,288
Santa Ana Police$251,916
Tustin Police$243,670
Ontario Police$243,578
Pleasanton Police$243,291
Redding Police$242,380
Orange Police$241,054
Los Gatos Police$240,384
San Jose Police$238,080
Chula Vista Police$236,101
San Bernardino County Sheriff$235,730
San Francisco County Sheriff$235,449
San Mateo Police$233,928
Inglewood Police$232,910
Santa Clara County Sheriff$231,523
Corona Police$230,994
Walnut Creek Police$230,628

Median regular pay, before overtime.

The 15 lowest

Gilroy Police$226,978
Riverside County Sheriff$225,612
San Diego County Sheriff$225,284
Watsonville Police$223,436
Fresno Police$222,103
Oakland Police$206,678
Tulare Police$203,228
Nevada County Sheriff$192,146
Bakersfield Police$189,095
Tulare County Sheriff$186,451
Bell Police$182,173
San Benito County Sheriff$182,054
Mariposa County Sheriff$173,545
Escondido Police$170,443
Fresno County Sheriff$169,503

Common questions

How much does a police captain make in California?
It depends on the department. At the middle department of 80, El Dorado County Sheriff, captains were paid a median of $277,822 in 2025, overtime included. The highest was $440,192 at Hayward Police.
Which California department pays captains the most?
Hayward Police, with a median total pay of $440,192 for captains in 2025. By regular pay alone, without overtime, it is Milpitas Police at $317,403.
Which pays captains the least?
Of departments with three or more full-year captains, Fresno County Sheriff had the lowest median total pay, $169,503.

Pay by rank, officer to captain · Compare every department · Highest paid departments · Police officer salary in California · Who is hiring

Source: California State Controller, Government Compensation in California, raw export, 2025. Figures are what each employer reported. Check the department's own salary schedule before relying on one.