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Police starting salary in California, 2025

The lowest published base salary for an officer or deputy at 309 California departments with 10 or more full-year officers. This is pay after the academy, before overtime.

Starting salary at the middle department
$95,243

Anaheim Police. The highest is $163,619 at Santa Clara Police and the lowest $37,398 at Sutter County Sheriff.

The 40 highest starting salaries

Santa Clara Police$163,619
Mountain View Police$143,096
Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety$142,742
Colma Police$142,659
Belmont Police$140,544
Hayward Police$138,965
Milpitas Police$138,261
San Jose Police$137,141
Emeryville Police$136,320
San Pablo Police$135,480
San Mateo Police$134,237
San Ramon Police$133,153
Atherton Police$132,998
Los Gatos Police$132,394
Santa Clara County Sheriff$132,263
Campbell Police$131,747
Newark Police$131,269
Palo Alto Police$129,854
Morgan Hill Police$129,296
Daly City Police$127,053
Livermore Police$126,895
Menlo Park Police$125,749
Foster City Police$125,198
Walnut Creek Police$124,289
Concord Police$123,790
Richmond Police$123,588
Pleasanton Police$122,470
Fremont Police$121,263
Santa Monica Police$120,636
Hillsborough Police$120,599
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Police$120,307
San Mateo County Sheriff$119,350
San Francisco Police$119,262
Union City Police$118,427
Alameda Police$118,414
San Leandro Police$118,008
Woodland Police$117,844
Marin County Sheriff$117,603
South San Francisco Police$117,562
Brentwood Police$116,109

The 20 lowest

Reedley Police$63,250
Coalinga Police$62,934
Ridgecrest Police$61,365
Gridley Police$61,128
Calexico Police$61,084
Corcoran Police$61,002
Siskiyou County Sheriff$60,715
Kerman Police$60,686
Plumas County Sheriff$59,072
Imperial County Sheriff$58,980
Livingston Police$58,890
Humboldt County Sheriff$58,633
Brawley Police$57,644
Farmersville Police$57,578
Merced County Sheriff$57,450
Firebaugh Police$55,730
Fortuna Police$55,570
Huron Police$43,930
Huntington Park Police$40,328
Sutter County Sheriff$37,398

Common questions

What is the starting salary for a police officer in California?
At the middle department of 309, Anaheim Police, the lowest published salary for an officer or deputy was $95,243 in 2025. The highest starting salary was $163,619 at Santa Clara Police.
Which California department has the highest starting pay?
Santa Clara Police at $163,619, then Mountain View Police at $143,096 and Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety at $142,742.
Which has the lowest?
Sutter County Sheriff, at $37,398.

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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.