The median annual wage for first-line supervisors of police and detectives working in Santa Maria, CA, sits at $161,440, per BLS survey data. It runs 65% above the national median of $97,930 for this occupation — pay here is notably stronger than the U.S. average. The middle 50% land between $143,710 and $181,220 — a 37,510 range that reflects differences in seniority, employer type, and specialization. The average (mean) of $164,830 comes in higher than the median, which usually means a share of high earners is pulling the average up. The catch: Santa Maria is roughly in line with the national cost of living (cost index 100 against a 100 baseline), so that headline number buys less than it would elsewhere. On an hourly basis that is about $77.61, useful for comparing contract or part-time offers.

For context, the national median for first-line supervisors of police and detectives across all U.S. metros in our data is $97,930.