Police & Fire Market | HSG Response Companion, City of Fayetteville GA

Certified police officer: published starting pay

Peer figures from live job postings, recruiting pages and posted pay plans, retrieved October 13, 2026 (dates in the table). Fayetteville's FY2026 grade 108 minimum is from the FY2026 Budget Book, p. 193; the October 2026 posting is the City's own Certified Police Officer listing, 4% above that minimum. Sheriff's deputies are included because they recruit from the same pool.

Police peer file

Employer	Title	Starting pay	Effective or posted	Link
Peachtree City	Certified Police Officer (minimum)	$66,199	posting live 2026-10-13 (UKG Ready requisition 520597922; no posting date exposed)	source
East Point	Police Officer, certified	$61,425	flyer uploaded Aug 2025; same figure in live GovernmentJobs posting 2026-10-13	source
College Park	Police Officer	$60,795	continuous posting opened 2021-07-07; salary updated after Apr 2025 (Wayback 2025-04-16 showed $53,606.92); live 2026-10-13	source
Douglasville	Police Officer, certified (single hiring rate $28.87/hr x 2,080)	$60,050	ADP posting live 2026-10-13	source
Newnan	Police Officer, Traffic, certified (minimum)	$59,667	posted 2026-05-11 (archived 2026-05-11; no longer listed 2026-10-13)	source
Fairburn	Police Officer, certified (single hiring rate; 12-hour shifts)	$57,358	Paycom posting live 2026-10-13	source
Fayette County Sheriff	Deputy Sheriff	$56,382	page dateModified 2026-09-28	source
Riverdale	Police Officer II, certified (FY2027 grade minimum)	$56,000	FY2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027); budget scheduled for adoption June 8, 2026	source
Coweta County Sheriff	Deputy Sheriff, certified (minimum)	$55,973	posted 2026-05-04; live 2026-10-13	source
Clayton County PD	Police Officer, certified (posted minimum)	$55,734	posting opened 2026-07-21; posting live 2026-10-13	source
Tyrone	Police Officer, certified (Town's annual figure)	$55,007	employment page marked 'Updated July 2026'	source
Palmetto	Certified Police Officer (base; up to +10% for experience)	$55,000	live 2026-10-13; unchanged since Nov 2024	source
Henry County	Police Officer, certified	$54,557	continuous posting opened 2024-01-16; live 2026-10-13	source
Union City	Patrol Officer (single hiring rate $25.55/hr x 2,080)	$53,144	Paycom posting live 2026-10-13	source
Senoia	Patrol Officer (DRAFT FY2027 budget scale minimum)	$49,121	draft FY2027 budget, 2026	source

Firefighter/EMT: published starting pay

Employer	Title	Start	Posted	Link
Newnan	Firefighter/EMT	$59,619	posted 2026-04-06 (closed 2026-04-17; archived 2026-04-08)	source
College Park	Firefighter/AEMT, certified	$55,751	continuous posting opened 2021-07-01; live 2026-10-13	source
Henry County	Firefighter/EMT, certified	$54,557	continuous posting opened 2024-01-16; live 2026-10-13	source
Clayton County Fire	Firefighter EMT (posted minimum)	$55,734	posting opened 2026-07-21; posting live 2026-10-13	source
Fayetteville	Firefighter/EMT, grade 109 minimum	$61,285	FY2026 plan

Firefighter/Paramedic: published starting pay

Employer	Title	Start	Posted	Link
Newnan	Firefighter/Paramedic	$65,747	posted 2026-04-06	source
Henry County	Firefighter/Paramedic, certified	$60,149	continuous posting opened 2024-01-16; live 2026-10-13	source
Clayton County Fire	Firefighter Paramedic (posted minimum)	$67,989	posting opened 2026-07-21; posting live 2026-10-13	source
Fayetteville	Firefighter/Paramedic, grade 110 minimum	$64,350	FY2026 plan

What the file already says

At entry, Fayetteville is competitive: its posted officer start sits about 8% above the peer median, and its firefighter/EMT minimum is above every fire peer that publishes. The pressure is elsewhere: its firefighter/paramedic minimum trails Newnan and Clayton County, and Peachtree City, the neighboring city in Fayette County, starts officers $5,497 higher and set a plan in 2023 aimed at the 85th percentile. Peers are also competing on extras the City's base scale does not show: degree pay (College Park, East Point), certification pay (Tyrone, East Point), up to 10% for experience at the Sheriff's Office, and step progressions (East Point).

What the study adds

Entry pay is the easy comparison. The RFQ asks for the harder ones: what an officer with eight years earns here against a peer, what each promotion is worth after special pays, and whether a step system on time in position and City service is affordable over five years. Those need the incumbent file and a survey of maximums, sergeant and lieutenant pay, and fire officer pay, which almost no peer publishes.

Police sergeant: the few published minimums

Almost no peer publishes supervisory pay, which is why the study's custom survey asks for it. Fayetteville's Police Sergeant (grade 113) minimum is shown for reference.

Employer	Title	Minimum	Effective or posted	Link
Clayton County Sheriff	Sheriff Sergeant (posted minimum)	$67,989	posting opened 2026-07-22; posting live 2026-10-13	source
Riverdale	Police Sergeant (FY2027 grade minimum)	$61,776	FY2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027); budget scheduled for adoption June 8, 2026	source
Clayton County PD	Police Sergeant (budget grade-table minimum; likely understates)	$56,599	as of 2026-07-01 (FY2027 budget book)	source
Senoia	Police Sergeant (DRAFT FY2027 budget scale minimum)	$59,707	draft FY2027 budget, 2026	source
Fayetteville	Police Sergeant, grade 113 minimum	$74,493	FY2026 plan

Incentives peers advertise

Fayette County Sheriff's Office: Starting salary can include additional compensation of up to 10% for experience or education; SWAT, K-9 or FTO certifications and experience also considered for additional compensation.
Town of Tyrone: Incentive pay for POST Career Development certifications (Advanced, Intermediate, Supervisory, Management); amounts not published.
City of College Park: Education incentive: 2% for Associate's degree ($62,010.90), 4% for Bachelor's degree ($63,226.80); additional incentives for former or current military.
City of College Park: $3,500 Paramedic Incentive (body text; may predate current header salary).
City of East Point: Hiring incentives: $1,500 for Associate's degree, $2,500 for Bachelor's degree; increases for specialized POST certifications; take-home car; step salary; Rule of 75 pension.
Morrow: Fire Department pay incentives of 4% for Firefighter I, 2% EMT, 4% AEMT and 10% Paramedic (FY2026 budget book).
Clayton County: 2% COLA July 2026 and a 10% sworn COLA effective January 2, 2027 (FY2027 budget amendment).
Palmetto: up to 10% above base for experience (2.5% at 2 to 4 years through 10% at 10 or more).
Union City budgeted its own salary study ($32,500) in FY2026.

Read these figures with care

Clayton County posted minimums run about 20% above its FY2027 budget grade-table minimums, so table-based Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain minimums likely understate actual hiring rates.
Clayton County funds a 10% COLA for sworn personnel effective 2027-01-02; the posted figures predate it.
Riverdale's fire service is provided by Clayton County Fire & Emergency Services.
Morrow publishes fire pay as hourly rates only and publishes no police range.
Single hiring rates (Union City, Fairburn, Douglasville) are one posted rate rather than a range minimum; hourly rates are converted at 2,080 hours.
Senoia's figures come from a DRAFT FY2027 budget scale. Palmetto's $55,000 has not changed since November 2024, and its firefighter figure (2023) is too old to use.
Douglasville and Senoia have no city fire department. No peer publishes Fire Lieutenant or Captain pay we could use.
Henry County and College Park figures come from continuous postings opened years ago that show today's salary in the header; Tyrone's annual figure is the Town's own, based on 85-hour pay periods.
Not found: Fayette County Fire & EMS, Peachtree City Fire and East Point Fire publish no starting pay we could locate.