Atwater police officer salary, 2025

Atwater is a city in Merced County. 22 people worked as police officers for Atwater in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $105,434, overtime included.

What is the average police officer salary at Atwater?

Official pay range¹

$70,895 to $102,597

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest police officer title

Average total pay, full-year police officers¹

$105,434

average base pay $77,932

Based on the 14 of 22 police officers who worked the full year.

Most of Atwater's police officers (20 of 22) hold the title Police Officer, with an official range of $70,895 to $90,482. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $102,518, $12,036 above the top of the range.

Median total pay: $100,304; the middle police officer: half earned more, half less
Overtime: $13,478; average per full-year police officer
Starting salary: $70,895; bottom of the Police Officer range
Average pay rank: 268th; of 301 California employers

What does each police officer title at Atwater pay?

Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.¹

Police Officer$70,895 to $90,482 · 20 people
$102,518
Police Corporal$80,387 to $102,597 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Police sergeant pay at Atwater

Ranks above officer, kept out of the officer figures on this page. Each rank's name leads to its statewide overview. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each rank's official range. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff, overtime included.¹

Rank	People	Official range	Average total pay
Officers	22	$70,895 to $102,597	$105,434
Sergeants	6	$93,262 to $119,029	Fewer than 5

Does Atwater pay police officers more than other employers in Merced County?

Average total pay of full-year police officers: Atwater next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.¹

Atwater$105,434
All employers in Merced County$121,163
All employers in California$179,627

Full-year police officers at Atwater earned $15,729 less than the Merced County average and $74,193 less than the California average.

Where does Atwater rank among California employers?

Every employer with at least 5 full-year police officers, by average total pay.¹

All 301 California employers

Atwater ranks 268th of 301, below the middle employer.

Atwater

$100k$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $159,513

Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.

Pension and health cover at Atwater

As reported by the city. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year police officer, on top of wages.¹

Pension formula: 2.7% at 57; the most common formula among Atwater's police officers
Employer pension contribution: $14,214; average per year
Health, dental and vision: $9,919; average paid by the employer per year

Questions about police officer pay at Atwater

What is the average police officer salary at Atwater?

Police officers at Atwater who worked the full year earned an average of $105,434 in 2025, overtime included. The middle police officer earned $100,304: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its police officer titles runs from $70,895 to $102,597.

How much overtime do police officers at Atwater earn?

Full-year police officers were paid an average of $13,478 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $11,531: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a police officer at Atwater?

$70,895 a year: the bottom of the official range for Atwater's Police Officer title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year officers averaged $105,434 in total pay.

How much does a police sergeant make at Atwater?

The official range for sergeants at Atwater runs from $93,262 to $119,029 in 2025. Too few worked the full year for an average.

What pension do police officers at Atwater get?

The most common pension formula among Atwater's police officers is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $14,214 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Merced County

Sources for the Atwater figures

Every person who held a police officer position at Atwater 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. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Atwater.

How we read the data