Sheriff vs highway patrol commander

The differences between sheriffs and highway patrol commanders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a highway patrol commander has an average salary of $54,448, which is higher than the $46,053 average annual salary of a sheriff.

The top three skills for a sheriff include patrol, public safety and emergency calls. The most important skills for a highway patrol commander are patrol, traffic laws, and traffic safety.

Sheriff vs highway patrol commander overview

	Sheriff	Highway Patrol Commander
Yearly salary	$46,053	$54,448
Hourly rate	$22.14	$26.18
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	347	22,099
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	40	47
Years of experience	-	-

Sheriff vs highway patrol commander salary

Sheriffs and highway patrol commanders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sheriff	Highway Patrol Commander
Average salary	$46,053	$54,448
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $69,000	Between $24,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Apple	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between sheriff and highway patrol commander education

There are a few differences between a sheriff and a highway patrol commander in terms of educational background:

	Sheriff	Highway Patrol Commander
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	University of Pennsylvania

Sheriff vs highway patrol commander demographics

Here are the differences between sheriffs' and highway patrol commanders' demographics:

	Sheriff	Highway Patrol Commander
Average age	40	47
Gender ratio	Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 2.9% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	10%

Differences between sheriff and highway patrol commander duties and responsibilities

Sheriff example responsibilities.

Evaluate all investigative and patrol functions to assure public safety and security needs are met.
Check visitors for warrants via NCIC and CIB.
Provide mentor and leadership guidance a to numerous personnel within the sheriffs office.
Create directed patrol for gang intervention, and enhance community policing.
Participate in developing and implementing safety policy for firearms range operations.
Assist in driver education training at local high schools with an emphasis on DUI prevention.

Highway patrol commander example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate system updates of all EW equipment assign to the BDE and subordinate units.
Dispatch patrol officers and equipment.
Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

Sheriff vs highway patrol commander skills

Common sheriff skills

Patrol, 31%
Public Safety, 7%
Emergency Calls, 6%
Booking, 5%
Phone Calls, 5%
Data Entry, 5%

Common highway patrol commander skills

Patrol, 96%
Traffic Laws, 3%
Traffic Safety, 1%

Sheriff vs. similar jobs

Sheriff related careers

Sheriff related jobs

What similar roles do

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Sheriff vs Highway Patrol Commander

Updated January 8, 2025

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