Hourly Wage for Sheriff/Police Chief Salary in the United States

What is the highest and lowest hourly pay for Sheriff/Police Chief?

As of November 01, 2025, the average hourly rate for a Sheriff/Police Chief in the United States is $63, which translates to an annual salary of about $130,507.

However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $74 per hour
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $56 to $69 per hour
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $51 per hour
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View as table View as graph 25% $56 10% $51 90% $74 75% $69 $63 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Sheriff/Police Chief Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $143,270 $11,939 $2,755 $69
Average $130,507 $10,876 $2,510 $63
25th Percentile $117,344 $9,779 $2,257 $56
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Key Factors That Influence Sheriff/Police Chief Salaries

A Sheriff/Police Chief's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Sheriff/Police Chief Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Sheriff/Police Chief's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here’s how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $123,130
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $124,180
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $125,230
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $127,331
  • Expert (over 8 years): $130,061
Levels Salary
Entry Level Sheriff/Police Chief $123,130
Intermediate Level Sheriff/Police Chief $124,180
Senior Level Sheriff/Police Chief $125,230
Specialist Level Sheriff/Police Chief $127,331
Expert Level Sheriff/Police Chief $130,061
$123,130 0 yr
$124,180 < 2 yrs
$125,230 2-4 yrs
$127,331 5-8 yrs
$130,061 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

How Education impacts a Sheriff/Police Chief's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Sheriff/Police Chieves enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Sheriff/Police Chief with a Bachelor's Degree is between $117,705 and $121,504.

Sheriff/Police Chief Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Sheriff/Police Chief
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 2.4%
High School 20.5%
Associates 12.0%
Bachelors 33.7%
Masters 27.1%
Doctorate 4.2%
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Sheriff/Police Chief Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Sheriff/Police Chief's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on November 01, 2025

Salary Trends for Sheriff/Police Chieves

Salaries for a Sheriff/Police Chief can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $145,104 in 2023 to around $139,147 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Sheriff/Police Chief salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Sheriff/Police Chief Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$145,104
2024
$141,655
2025
$139,147
2026
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $145,104
2024 $141,655
2025 $139,147
2026
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Sheriff/Police Chief bonus and incentive rates

Based on HR-reported data: a national average with a geographic differential
Base Salary 77.6%
Bonuses -4.2%
Social Security 5.6%
401k/403b 3.6%
Disability 1.2%
Healthcare 3.8%
Pension 3.1%
Time Off 9.3%
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Core Compensation
Median % of Total
Base Salary $130,507 77.6%
Bonus $-7,019 -4.2%
Value of Benefits
Median % of Total
Social Security $9,447 5.6%
401K/403B $6,051 3.6%
Disability $1,976 1.2%
Healthcare $6,371 3.8%
Pension $5,186 3.1%
Time Off $15,673 9.3%
Total Compensation $168,192 100%
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Most common benefits for Sheriff/Police Chief

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Sheriff/Police Chief

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FAQ about Sheriff/Police Chief

1. What are the responsibilities of Sheriff/Police Chief?

Enforces the law on a town, city, or county level. Responsibilities include police service planning, organizational development, personnel management, community policing, and community relations. May also be involved in administrative, financial/budgetary, and operations/labor relations tasks. Requires a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Typically reports to an elected official. Manages a departmental sub-function within a broader departmental function. Creates functional strategies and specific objectives for the sub-function and develops budgets/policies/procedures to support the functional infrastructure. Deep knowledge of the managed sub-function and solid knowledge of the overall departmental function. Typically requires at least 10 years of law enforcement experience.

2. What are the skills of Sheriff/Police Chief

Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.

1.)

Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.

2.)

Public Relations: Public relations (PR) is the practice of deliberately managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public. Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. This differentiates it from advertising as a form of marketing communications. Public relations is the idea of creating coverage for clients for free, rather than marketing or advertising. But now, advertising is also a part of greater PR Activities. An example of good public relations would be generating an article featuring a client, rather than paying for the client to be advertised next to the article. The aim of public relations is to inform the public, prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders and ultimately persuade them to maintain a positive or favorable view about the organization, its leadership, products, or political decisions. Public relations professionals typically work for PR and marketing firms, businesses and companies, government, and public officials as PIOs and nongovernmental organizations, and nonprofit organizations. Jobs central to public relations include account coordinator, account executive, account supervisor, and media relations manager.

3.)

Public Administration: Public administration is a field in which leaders serve communities to advance the common good and effect positive change.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

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