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Job outlook for county sheriffs in the United States
County sheriff job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected county sheriff job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 20,600 new jobs for county sheriffs are projected over the next decade.
County sheriff salaries have increased 10% for county sheriffs in the last 5 years.
There are over 5,471 county sheriffs currently employed in the United States.
There are 949 active county sheriff job openings in the US.
The average county sheriff salary is $47,451.
Are county sheriff jobs in demand?
County sheriff job and salary trends over time
County sheriff jobs over time
County sheriff job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5,471 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 5,384 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,470 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 5,437 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 5,446 | 0.00% |
Average county sheriff salary over time
County sheriff salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $47,451 | $22.81 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $45,721 | $21.98 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $44,440 | $21.37 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $44,201 | $21.25 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $43,209 | $20.77 | +2.3% |
County sheriff jobs by state
Most common states for county sheriffs
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 12 | 1% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 5 | 1% |
| 3 | California | 39,536,653 | 109 | 0% |
| 4 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 27 | 0% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 18 | 0% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 18 | 0% |
| 7 | New York | 19,849,399 | 17 | 0% |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 17 | 0% |
| 9 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 15 | 0% |
| 10 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 12 | 0% |
| 11 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 9 | 0% |
| 12 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 6 | 0% |
| 13 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 6 | 0% |
| 14 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 3 | 0% |
| 15 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 3 | 0% |
| 16 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 2 | 0% |
| 17 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 2 | 0% |
| 18 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 2 | 0% |
| 19 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 2 | 0% |
| 20 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 1 | 0% |
Most common cities for county sheriffs
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rock Island | 1 | 3% | $49,070 |
| 2 | Plano | 1 | 0% | $42,379 |
County Sheriff job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of county sheriff experts
Governors State University
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Georgia Southern University
Jill Myers
Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice AdministrationWhat general advice would you give to a County Sheriff?
Jill Myers: The more skill sets you have the better prepared you will be for future advancement and salary increases. Having a solid education, a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a masters degree will sometimes result in increased wages. Having federal certifications and competencies will enhance your opportunities and create potential marketability for your career. It is always a great skill set to have people skills, communication in both written and oral formats. It will enhance your ability to explain yourself in court, in the warrants one prepares, and with dealing with the public in all circumstances from victims and witnesses and suspects, to legislators, the funding sources like mayors and city council and the public at large.
Dr. Janet Brewer
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice & SociologyGovernors State University
Criminal Justice And Corrections
What general advice would you give to a County Sheriff?
Dr. Janet Brewer: Market yourself as someone who can increase revenue or decrease workload for that entity. Use your school's alumni network to its fullest.
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
What skills stand out on County Sheriff resumes?
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.: Police officers need many skills to be successful on the job. The most important are written and oral communication skills and the ability to make ethical decisions with limited information quickly. Written communications skills are crucial. If a police report is poorly worded or incomplete, it can derail a criminal case. Police officers also need to talk to people of all ages from all walks of life in any circumstance. Often, police meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives when emotions are running high. Police need to be able to help calm a person while gathering information. Police need to be able to use their words and body language to empathize with someone who has been victimized, and they need to project authority, so people making poor decisions obey their commands.
This may be common sense, but research has demonstrated that communication and ethical decision-making skills are important for police officers. (See the research article published in 2017 in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, entitled "An assessment of the relative importance of criminal justice learning objectives," by Baker and colleagues.) Baker and colleagues asked students, professionals, and college professors to rate the skills of hypothetical job applicants. These participants rated the following as the most important characteristics for criminal justice applicants (including law enforcement officers):
Ethics
Oral communication
Critical thinking
Sensitivity to diversity
Written communication skills
Logan Somers Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorGeorgia Southern University
Criminal Justice and Criminology Department
What skills stand out on County Sheriff resumes?
Logan Somers Ph.D.: Skills and experiences that stand out on Law Enforcement Officer resumes are not too dissimilar from desirable qualities in other industries. First, even though the vast majority of police departments do not have an education requirement beyond high school, most recruits entering the academy do have at least some college experience. Therefore, having an associate's or bachelor's degree will make you competitive. Further, policing in today's society requires officers to be elite communicators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers. Any prior work experience that can be used to demonstrate how you performed those skills under pressure should be highlighted. Lastly, any prior community service and or mentoring should be included. Having these experiences displays your commitment to improving your community and bettering the lives of those around you.