If you’re searching for law enforcement opportunities, California is a great place to start. The state boasts the highest average pay in the country for police and sheriff’s patrol officers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent report. But salary per department still depends on a number of factors, from location to pay incentives. Here are the top 10 highest-paying cities and areas for patrol officers in California.
Top 10 Highest-Paying CA Cities/Areas for Patrol Officers
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $128,480
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: $121,650
- Vallejo-Fairfield: $121,470
- Redding: $119,740
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma: $114,660
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City: $114,050
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura: $113,820
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $113,160
- Merced: $109,280
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville: $108,800
Top 10 highest base salaries for CA city/area patrol officers
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City: $88,690
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $87,350
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: $80,940
- Oakland-Fremont-Hayward: $78,030
- Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta: $77,690
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma: $77,130
- Vallejo-Fairfield: $77,020
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville: $71,830
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale: $71,540
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $71,200
In California, patrol officers serving departments in the San Francisco Bay Area are paid the most on average. Depending on your level of experience, it may be more helpful to refer to the list of California cities and areas based on base salaries instead of overall salaries. This second list reflects the salary of the bottom 10% paid police and sheriff’s patrol officers. Regardless of what list you focus on, it’s easy to see how California officers are some of the highest paid officers in the entire country!
All figures above reflect the average annual salary of police and sheriff’s patrol officers as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of April 2020.
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