THE POLICE INDEXStop data 2024 · Pay 2025 · Hiring checked daily
Police pension formulas and benefits in California, 2025
The pension formula each department reported for its officers, and what the employer paid toward health, dental and vision, at 320 California departments with 10 or more full-year officers.
Most common pension formula
2.7% at 57
245 of 320 departments reported this formula for most of their full-year officers. 28 did not report one formula for most of their officers.
Pension formula: number of departments
2.7% at 57245
2% at 5710
2% at 627
2% at 505
2.5% at 574
3% at 504
2.7% at 552
3% at 552
The formula most full-year officers carry at each department, in the employer's own text, tidied to one spelling. Many departments also report a second formula for some of their officers. Each department page lists them.
2 departments reported no health payment for at least half of their officers and are left out.
These are employer payments, on top of pay. The file does not say why payments differ, so a low figure is not proof of weak benefits. Employer pension payments are on each department page and are not ranked here, because some employers include payments toward unfunded liability and others do not.