California police officer salaries by employer, 2025

29,482 people worked as police officers for 332 cities and special districts in California in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $179,627, overtime included.

What is the average police officer salary in California?

Lowest-paying employer

$83,901

Farmersville
City in Tulare County

Average total pay, full-year California police officers1

$179,627

average base pay $125,146

Highest-paying employer

$279,286

Santa Clara
City government

Highest- and lowest-paying among the 249 employers with at least 10 full-year officers. The lists below include every employer with at least 5.

Police officers
29,482
23,750 of them worked the full year
Employers
332
321 with 5 or more officers, in 51 counties
Median total pay
$169,968
the middle police officer: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$36,839
average per full-year police officer

Employers also paid an average of $35,037 into pensions and $18,344 for health, dental and vision cover per full-year police officer, on top of wages.1

What stands out in California police officer pay

Which California employers pay police officers the most?

By average total pay of full-year officers, among employers with at least 5 of them.

Highest average total pay

  1. Santa ClaraCity government
    64 full-year officers    $279,286
  2. San FranciscoCity government
    1,217 full-year officers    $255,036
  3. FremontCity in Alameda County
    101 full-year officers    $253,136
  4. Menlo ParkCity in San Mateo County
    24 full-year officers    $251,301
  5. San JoseCity in Santa Clara County
    729 full-year officers    $251,199
  6. Santa MonicaCity in Los Angeles County
    138 full-year officers    $250,024
  7. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit DistrictTransit district in Alameda County
    128 full-year officers    $248,473
  8. Los AltosCity in Santa Clara County
    16 full-year officers    $237,743
  9. Mountain ViewCity in Santa Clara County
    57 full-year officers    $235,394
  10. Palo AltoCity in Santa Clara County
    48 full-year officers    $229,335

California average, $179,627

Highest police officer salaries in California: the top employers by total pay, base pay and starting salary

Highest police officer starting salaries in California: every department compared

Compare police officer pay at every California employer

Official pay range across each employer's officer titles, and what full-year officers earned. Sergeants and higher ranks aren't in these figures. Click a column to sort it.

Showing 1 to 25 of 321 employers, highest average total pay first.

Santa ClaraSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$279,286$26,033$163,619$208,808902.7% at 57
San FranciscoSan Francisco CountySan Francisco$255,036$77,964$87,932$164,1641,7153% at 58
FremontAlameda CountyAlameda$253,136$68,677$133,389$162,1721602.7% at 57
Menlo ParkSan Mateo CountySan Mateo$251,301$76,485$125,749$172,726322.7% at 57
San JoseSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$251,199$72,335$137,141$183,689819Not reported
Santa MonicaLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$250,024$70,190$120,636$148,9321772.7% at 57
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit DistrictAlameda CountyAlameda$248,473$61,563$105,837$166,4341722.7% at 57
Los AltosSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$237,743$49,258$133,086$171,290222.7% at 57
Mountain ViewSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$235,394$53,819$143,096$173,768682.7% at 57
Palo AltoSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$229,335$42,823$123,444$194,376642.7% at 57
El MonteLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$229,061$74,925$94,498$129,906972.7% at 57
HaywardAlameda CountyAlameda$227,831$39,988$138,965$167,7311362.7% at 57
ColmaSan Mateo CountySan Mateo$227,701$60,166$142,659$168,343122.7% at 57
RichmondContra Costa CountyContra Costa$227,056$61,925$123,588$142,5581032.7% at 57
NapaNapa CountyNapa$226,758$48,874$115,149$147,083552.7% at 57
TorranceLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$226,452$52,054$87,360$134,1391502.7% at 57
San RamonContra Costa CountyContra Costa$222,056$28,861$133,153$178,032502.7% at 57
OaklandAlameda CountyAlameda$220,747$55,591$105,968$148,4036512.7% at 57
AnaheimOrange CountyOrange$219,428$66,375$95,243$154,0863322.7% at 57
LivermoreAlameda CountyAlameda$217,533$31,451$126,895$154,241732.7% at 55
AthertonSan Mateo CountySan Mateo$216,606$38,908$132,998$161,660132.7% at 57
BerkeleyAlameda CountyAlameda$214,680$55,543$119,928$149,261992.7% at 57
EmeryvilleAlameda CountyAlameda$214,387$34,871$136,320$162,672332.7% at 57
InglewoodLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$214,387$58,715$109,109$133,1341202.7% at 57
ConcordContra Costa CountyContra Costa$214,140$43,965$123,790$209,1491202.7% at 57

"Fewer than 5": fewer than 5 officers worked the full year, too few for an average. "Not reported": the employer reported no pay range, so we can't tell who worked the full year. Employers with fewer than 5 officers aren't listed.

California police pay by rank: officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant and captain

Every city and district police department in California, 2025. Each rank leads to its own page. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each rank's official range. Pay: full-year staff, overtime included.1

RankPositionsOfficial rangeAverage total payAverage overtime
Officers29,482Varies by employer$179,627$36,839
Detectives1,879$113,983 to $136,596$208,672$41,161
Sergeants5,993$127,381 to $157,095$237,505$48,355
Lieutenants1,740$158,480 to $198,044$267,527$35,383
Captains609$199,566 to $244,566$285,703$7,908

Which California jobs count as police officers here, and which don't?

The State Controller's file lists every public job by title. We decided each police title by hand, from its name and department.

Counted as officers

  • Police officers at city police departments. Every level (Police Officer I, II and III), corporals, senior and master officers and police agents.
  • Officers at police districts and other agencies. Police protection districts, BART, port and airport police, and park district police.

Shown separately or left out

  • Detectives, sergeants, lieutenants and captains. In the pay by rank table above, each with its own page, not in the officer figures. Most departments make detective an assignment for officers; where it's a title of its own (Los Angeles, San Diego and 28 other departments), it's a rank between officer and sergeant.
  • County sheriff's deputies. A job of their own; not on these pages yet.
  • Recruits, cadets and trainees in the academy. They aren't sworn officers yet.
  • Reserve, part-time and per diem officers, and chiefs and commanders.
  • Civilian police staff. Community service officers, dispatchers, records, evidence and parking staff.

Every California employer with a police officer pay page, by county

321 employers with at least 5 officers. Employers without an average had fewer than 5 full-year officers, or their records don't show who worked the full year.

Questions about police officer pay in California

How much do police officers make in California?

Full-year police officers at California cities and special districts earned an average of $179,627 in 2025, including an average of $36,839 in overtime. The middle officer earned $169,968: half earned more, half less.

Which California city pays police officers the most?

Among employers with at least 10 full-year officers, Santa Clara has the highest average total pay, $279,286, followed by San Francisco ($255,036) and Fremont ($253,136).

Which California city pays police officers the least?

Among employers with at least 10 full-year officers, Farmersville has the lowest average total pay, $83,901, followed by Kerman ($86,684) and Firebaugh ($92,011).

How much do police sergeants and lieutenants make in California?

Full-year police detectives averaged $208,672, sergeants averaged $237,505, lieutenants averaged $267,527 and captains averaged $285,703 in 2025, against $179,627 for officers.

Which California police departments have the most officers?

Los Angeles (7,013 officers), San Francisco (1,715) and San Diego (1,184), counting officer positions held in 2025, without sergeants and higher ranks.

Sources for the California police officer figures

Every person who held a police officer position at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formulas and employer contributions as reported by each city, county and special district.
  2. Association of Bay Area Governments, Our Members: the nine Bay Area counties.

How we read the data