THE POLICE INDEXStop data 2024 · Pay 2025 · Hiring checked daily
Deputy sheriff salary in California, 2025
The salary range for a deputy sheriff at 52 California county sheriff's offices, on one scale. Figures are what each employer reported to the State Controller for 2025.
Highest top salary for a deputy sheriff
$160,784
Santa Clara County Sheriff. 26 of the 52 top out at $115,419 or more. Lowest: Siskiyou County Sheriff, $74,568.
Salary range for a deputy, by county
Starting salary to top salary. The letter is the pay grade on each report card.
Lowest and highest published base salary for deputy titles, without overtime. Employers do not all report the range the same way, so check the employer's own salary schedule before relying on one.
Paid for the full year. Half earned more than the figure shown. Sheriff counts include jail and court deputies.
Sheriff's office ranks and what each is paid
Median total pay at the middle sheriff's office for each rank, overtime included.
Deputy$138,018
Sergeant$195,954
Lieutenant$208,579
Captain$247,338
Sergeant: middle office Amador County Sheriff, highest San Mateo County Sheriff at $315,854. Lieutenant: middle office Riverside County Sheriff, highest San Francisco County Sheriff at $311,338. Captain: middle office Ventura County Sheriff, highest San Mateo County Sheriff at $309,453. Offices with three or more people in the rank for the full year. Pay by rank at every department.
Common questions
How much does a deputy sheriff make in California?
It depends on the employer. Of 52 California county sheriff's offices, the highest top salary in 2025 was $160,784 at Santa Clara County Sheriff and the lowest $74,568 at Siskiyou County Sheriff. 26 of the 52 top out at $115,419 or more.
Which pays the most with overtime?
San Mateo County Sheriff, where full-year deputys were paid a median of $234,113 in 2025.
These figures count all deputies together, including those assigned to jails and courts, not only patrol. A city police department's figures cover police officers only.