Palo Alto police officer salary, 2025

Palo Alto is a city in Santa Clara County. 64 people worked as police officers for Palo Alto in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $229,335, overtime included.

What is the average police officer salary at Palo Alto?

Official pay range¹

$123,444 to $194,376

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

Average total pay, full-year police officers¹

$229,335

average base pay $170,674

Based on the 48 of 64 police officers who worked the full year.

The largest group of Palo Alto's police officers (27 of 64) hold the title Police Officer-Inter, with an official range of $136,365 to $176,218. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $202,644, $26,426 above the top of the range.

Median total pay: $228,770; the middle police officer: half earned more, half less
Overtime: $42,823; average per full-year police officer
Starting salary: $123,444; bottom of the Police Officer-Adv/Bilingual range
Average pay rank: 10th; of 301 California employers

What does each police officer title at Palo Alto 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-Adv/Bilingual$123,444 to $188,822 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer-Adv-Bilingual$124,301 to $188,822 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer-Advanced$129,631 to $180,419 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer-Inter-Bilingual$129,631 to $176,077 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer$129,854 to $176,472 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer Intermediate$135,819 to $184,481 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer/Advance$135,819 to $184,481 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer-Bilingual$136,365 to $176,218 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer-Inter$136,365 to $176,218 · 27 people
$202,644
Police Officer Advance$136,487 to $185,389 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Officer-Intermediate$138,840 to $188,822 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Agent/Adv$142,924 to $194,376 · fewer than 5 people
Fewer than 5
Police Agent/Advance$142,924 to $194,376 · 20 people
$266,374
Police Officer-Adv$142,988 to $180,419 · 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 and lieutenant pay at Palo Alto

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	64	$123,444 to $194,376	$229,335
Sergeants	16	$160,053 to $217,672	$327,609
Lieutenants	6	$185,266 to $277,888	$285,298

Full-year sergeants averaged $327,609, $98,274 more than officers.

Does Palo Alto pay police officers more than other employers in Santa Clara County?

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

Palo Alto$229,335
All employers in Santa Clara County$241,958
All employers in California$179,627

Full-year police officers at Palo Alto earned $12,623 less than the Santa Clara County average and $49,708 more than the California average.

Where does Palo Alto rank among California employers?

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

All 301 California employers

Palo Alto ranks 10th of 301, above the middle employer.

Palo Alto

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

Middle employer: $159,513

The 10 employers in Santa Clara County

Palo Alto ranks 5th of 10, above the middle employer.

Palo Alto

$180k$200k$220k$240k$260k$280k

Middle employer: $219,598

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 Palo Alto

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 Palo Alto's police officers
Employer pension contribution: $139,134; average per year
Health, dental and vision: $22,948; average paid by the employer per year

Questions about police officer pay at Palo Alto

What is the average police officer salary at Palo Alto?

Police officers at Palo Alto who worked the full year earned an average of $229,335 in 2025, overtime included. The middle police officer earned $228,770: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its police officer titles runs from $123,444 to $194,376.

How much overtime do police officers at Palo Alto earn?

Full-year police officers were paid an average of $42,823 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $34,302: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a police officer at Palo Alto?

$123,444 a year: the bottom of the official range for Palo Alto's Police Officer-Adv/Bilingual title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year officers averaged $229,335 in total pay.

How much does a police sergeant make at Palo Alto?

Full-year sergeants at Palo Alto averaged $327,609 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $160,053 to $217,672.

What pension do police officers at Palo Alto get?

The most common pension formula among Palo Alto's police officers is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the city. The employer paid an average of $139,134 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Clara County

Sources for the Palo Alto figures

Every person who held a police officer position at Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto.

How we read the data