Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers salary in Charleston, SC
Median pay for police & sheriff's patrol officers in Charleston, SC: $52,560/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $45,670 – $67,560 · about 2,250 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($69,845) by −$17,285 (-25%).
What it's really worth in Charleston
With Charleston's cost of living at 101 (US=100), that $52,560 has the buying power of about $51,989 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $77,460 · median home $435,877 · median rent $2,024/mo.
How Charleston ranks for this job
On raw pay, Charleston, SC is 151st of the 186 metros we hold police & sheriff's patrol officers wages for. Once Charleston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 176th.
The headline number flatters Charleston. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, police & sheriff's patrol officers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Charleston
A median home in Charleston, SC costs $435,877 — about 8.3× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $2,024/mo works out at 46% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where police & sheriff's patrol officers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Charleston.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Charleston | Rent vs Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $145,340 | +177% | 1.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $134,860 | +157% | 1.6× |
| Vallejo, CA | $125,130 | +138% | 1.2× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $118,140 | +125% | 1.6× |
Same job elsewhere in SC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Charleston | Rent vs Charleston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Beach, SC | $52,190 | −1% | 0.9× |
| Greenville, SC | $51,780 | −1% | 0.8× |
| Columbia, SC | $50,270 | −4% | 0.8× |
| Spartanburg, SC | $48,100 | −8% | 0.7× |
Staying in SC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires police & sheriff's patrol officers around Charleston
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Joint Base Charleston · Government
Other jobs in Charleston
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.