Santa Cruz County correctional officer salary, 2025

123 people worked as correctional officers for Santa Cruz County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $139,964, overtime included.

What is the average correctional officer salary at Santa Cruz County?

Official pay range1

$81,661 to $109,221

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

Average total pay, full-year correctional officers1

$139,964

average base pay $93,329

Based on the 80 of 123 correctional officers who worked the full year.

Most of Santa Cruz County's correctional officers (123 of 123) hold the title Sheriffs Corrections Officer, with an official range of $81,661 to $109,221. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $139,964, $30,743 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$138,478
the middle correctional officer: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$30,310
average per full-year correctional officer
Starting salary
$81,661
bottom of the Sheriffs Corrections Officer range
Average pay rank
7th
of 43 California employers

What does each correctional officer title at Santa Cruz County 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

  1. Sheriffs Corrections Officer$81,661 to $109,221 · 123 people
    $139,964

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

Correctional sergeant pay at Santa Cruz County

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

RankPeopleOfficial rangeAverage total pay
Officers123$81,661 to $109,221$139,964
Sergeants7$107,723 to $144,165$231,753

Full-year sergeants averaged $231,753, $91,789 more than officers.

Does Santa Cruz County pay correctional officers more than other California employers?

Average total pay of full-year correctional officers: Santa Cruz County next to every California employer together.1

Full-year correctional officers at Santa Cruz County earned $14,165 more than the California average.

Average correctional officer pay in Santa Cruz County compared to nearby counties

Average total pay of full-year correctional officers across all employers in each county that borders Santa Cruz County, and how much more or less it pays.1

Santa Cruz County Shades match the state map.

Where does Santa Cruz County rank among California employers?

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

All 43 California employers

Santa Cruz County ranks 7th of 43, above the middle employer.

Santa Cruz County
$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $109,074

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 Santa Cruz County

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

Pension formula
2.7% at 57
the most common formula among Santa Cruz County's correctional officers
Employer pension contribution
$17,724
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$14,165
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about correctional officer pay at Santa Cruz County

What is the average correctional officer salary at Santa Cruz County?

Correctional officers at Santa Cruz County who worked the full year earned an average of $139,964 in 2025, overtime included. The middle correctional officer earned $138,478: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its correctional officer titles runs from $81,661 to $109,221.

How much overtime do correctional officers at Santa Cruz County earn?

Full-year correctional officers were paid an average of $30,310 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $26,302: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a correctional officer at Santa Cruz County?

$81,661 a year: the bottom of the official range for Santa Cruz County's Sheriffs Corrections Officer title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year officers averaged $139,964 in total pay.

How much does a correctional sergeant make at Santa Cruz County?

Full-year sergeants at Santa Cruz County averaged $231,753 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $107,723 to $144,165.

What pension do correctional officers at Santa Cruz County get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Cruz County's correctional officers is 2.7% at 57, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $17,724 a year into the pension plan.

More public salaries at Santa Cruz County

Sources for the Santa Cruz County figures

Every person who held a correctional officer position at Santa Cruz County 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.

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

How we read the data