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Police lieutenant salary in California, 2025

What police and sheriff lieutenants were paid at 167 California departments with three or more of them on the payroll for the full year.

Median total pay for lieutenants at the middle department
$245,229

Downey Police, overtime included. The highest is $410,691 at Inglewood Police and the lowest $115,402 at Imperial County Sheriff.

Lieutenant total pay: the 30 highest

Inglewood Police$410,691
Santa Clara Police$383,988
Richmond Police$382,278
Santa Monica Police$354,870
Oakland Police$345,567
BART Police$334,688
Huntington Beach Police$332,430
Beverly Hills Police$327,198
Torrance Police$323,831
Vallejo Police$320,148
Irvine Police$319,779
Pasadena Police$317,188
San Jose Police$314,743
San Francisco County Sheriff$311,338
Culver City Police$308,080
Ontario Police$307,305
Hayward Police$307,256
Burbank Police$305,504
Mountain View Police$303,938
Union City Police$301,548
Hawthorne Police$300,087
Newport Beach Police$297,763
Manhattan Beach Police$297,292
Los Angeles Airport Police$292,391
Los Angeles Port Police$291,405
Palo Alto Police$291,025
South San Francisco Police$290,449
El Segundo Police$289,954
Riverside Police$288,920
San Mateo Police$286,610

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

Lieutenant regular pay: the 30 highest

Palo Alto Police$275,695
San Ramon Police$268,250
Beverly Hills Police$260,562
Fremont Police$258,823
Santa Clara Police$249,258
UCLA Police$246,002
Mountain View Police$245,971
South San Francisco Police$245,917
Concord Police$243,416
UC Berkeley Police$243,337
UCSF Police$243,337
San Leandro Police$239,317
Union City Police$238,666
San Mateo County Sheriff$235,263
Santa Monica Police$234,616
Pasadena Police$233,374
Fairfield Police$230,486
Monterey Police$228,394
Hayward Police$226,200
Walnut Creek Police$225,995
San Mateo Police$225,874
UC Santa Barbara Police$225,838
Alameda Police$225,670
Redondo Beach Police$225,477
El Segundo Police$224,351
Pleasanton Police$222,931
Anaheim Police$221,480
Santa Ana Police$221,304
Irvine Police$220,229
San Jose Police$219,715

Median regular pay, before overtime.

The 15 lowest

Fresno County Sheriff$174,882
Yuba City Police$174,820
Bakersfield Police$169,008
Hanford Police$168,644
Nevada County Sheriff$162,646
Humboldt County Sheriff$153,463
Madera Police$149,443
El Centro Police$147,124
Tulare County Sheriff$147,066
Madera County Sheriff$144,010
Arcata Police$140,506
Porterville Police$133,446
Lemoore Police$131,729
Siskiyou County Sheriff$122,989
Imperial County Sheriff$115,402

Common questions

How much does a police lieutenant make in California?
It depends on the department. At the middle department of 167, Downey Police, lieutenants were paid a median of $245,229 in 2025, overtime included. The highest was $410,691 at Inglewood Police.
Which California department pays lieutenants the most?
Inglewood Police, with a median total pay of $410,691 for lieutenants in 2025. By regular pay alone, without overtime, it is Palo Alto Police at $275,695.
Which pays lieutenants the least?
Of departments with three or more full-year lieutenants, Imperial County Sheriff had the lowest median total pay, $115,402.

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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.