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Best states for a sheriff
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for sheriffs? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for sheriff jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.We wanted to look at the best states for sheriffs -- where there are plenty of sheriff jobs to go around and sheriffs get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for sheriffs. Washington is the best state for sheriffs, where the median salary is $56,453.We found that Washington is the best state for sheriff jobs, whereas North Carolina is the worst.
10 best states for sheriffs in 2026
1. Washington
Total sheriff jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $56,453 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
2. California
Total sheriff jobs: 80 Average annual salary: $57,786 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 3.26
3. New York
Total sheriff jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $63,858 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 0.37
4. Minnesota
Total sheriff jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $51,815 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
5. District of Columbia
Total sheriff jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $62,514 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 0
6. Wisconsin
Total sheriff jobs: 11 Average annual salary: $47,198 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Location Quotient: 2.37
7. New Jersey
Total sheriff jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $54,848 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0
8. West Virginia
Total sheriff jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $48,845 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 0
9. Oregon
Total sheriff jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $49,290 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 1.44
10. Illinois
Total sheriff jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $49,561 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 0.6
Sheriff jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a sheriff
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a sheriff
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $56,453 | $38,000 | 7,405,743 | 9 |
| 2 | California | $57,786 | $36,000 | 39,536,653 | 80 |
| 3 | New York | $63,858 | $39,000 | 19,849,399 | 4 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $51,815 | $35,000 | 5,576,606 | 5 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $62,514 | $39,000 | 693,972 | 0 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $47,198 | $31,000 | 5,795,483 | 11 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $54,848 | $34,000 | 9,005,644 | 0 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $48,845 | $31,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 9 | Oregon | $49,290 | $32,000 | 4,142,776 | 5 |
| 10 | Illinois | $49,561 | $33,000 | 12,802,023 | 6 |
| 11 | Maine | $48,917 | $32,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $47,844 | $33,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 13 | Iowa | $44,521 | $30,000 | 3,145,711 | 4 |
| 14 | Maryland | $46,988 | $29,000 | 6,052,177 | 10 |
| 15 | Kansas | $46,067 | $31,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 16 | Delaware | $48,268 | $29,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 17 | Colorado | $44,663 | $30,000 | 5,607,154 | 12 |
| 18 | Nevada | $46,240 | $29,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $47,536 | $29,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 20 | Virginia | $45,140 | $28,000 | 8,470,020 | 15 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $44,624 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $44,822 | $31,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $44,952 | $30,000 | 1,920,076 | 0 |
| 24 | Michigan | $43,228 | $27,000 | 9,962,311 | 4 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $45,523 | $28,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $42,173 | $27,000 | 2,088,070 | 1 |
| 27 | Ohio | $42,429 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 1 |
| 28 | Texas | $41,538 | $26,000 | 28,304,596 | 15 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $43,148 | $26,000 | 12,805,537 | 3 |
| 30 | Arizona | $42,364 | $27,000 | 7,016,270 | 2 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | $43,696 | $27,000 | 6,859,819 | 1 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $41,573 | $26,000 | 1,342,795 | 0 |
| 33 | Florida | $40,354 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 11 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $38,259 | $25,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 35 | Alaska | $40,182 | $30,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 36 | Idaho | $36,124 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 5 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $37,960 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 2 |
| 38 | Montana | $35,238 | $24,000 | 1,050,493 | 7 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $36,980 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $37,372 | $24,000 | 6,715,984 | 0 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $38,758 | $24,000 | 4,684,333 | 0 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $39,500 | $31,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 43 | Vermont | $38,923 | $25,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $37,023 | $24,000 | 3,930,864 | 0 |
| 45 | Indiana | $34,591 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 4 |
| 46 | Utah | $33,996 | $23,000 | 3,101,833 | 4 |
| 47 | Alabama | $35,424 | $23,000 | 4,874,747 | 0 |
| 48 | Georgia | $33,044 | $21,000 | 10,429,379 | 14 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $34,012 | $22,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 50 | Missouri | $34,686 | $23,000 | 6,113,532 | 0 |
| 51 | North Carolina | $31,567 | $20,000 | 10,273,419 | 5 |
Highest paying states for sheriffs
| Rank | State | Avg. Sheriff Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $56,453 |
| 2 | California | $57,786 |
| 3 | New York | $63,858 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $51,815 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $62,514 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $47,198 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $54,848 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $48,845 |
| 9 | Oregon | $49,290 |
| 10 | Illinois | $49,561 |
| 11 | Maine | $48,917 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $47,844 |
| 13 | Iowa | $44,521 |
| 14 | Maryland | $46,988 |
| 15 | Kansas | $46,067 |
| 16 | Delaware | $48,268 |
| 17 | Colorado | $44,663 |
| 18 | Nevada | $46,240 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $47,536 |
| 20 | Virginia | $45,140 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $44,624 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $44,822 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $44,952 |
| 24 | Michigan | $43,228 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $45,523 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $42,173 |
| 27 | Ohio | $42,429 |
| 28 | Texas | $41,538 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $43,148 |
| 30 | Arizona | $42,364 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | $43,696 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $41,573 |
| 33 | Florida | $40,354 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $38,259 |
| 35 | Alaska | $40,182 |
| 36 | Idaho | $36,124 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $37,960 |
| 38 | Montana | $35,238 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $36,980 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $37,372 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $38,758 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $39,500 |
| 43 | Vermont | $38,923 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $37,023 |
| 45 | Indiana | $34,591 |
| 46 | Utah | $33,996 |
| 47 | Alabama | $35,424 |
| 48 | Georgia | $33,044 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $34,012 |
| 50 | Missouri | $34,686 |
| 51 | North Carolina | $31,567 |
Sheriff best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025