Provides religious services and pastoral care inside prisons and jails, and coordinates worship for incarcerated people of every faith. BLS does not publish separate figures for clergy; it counts them within clergy (SOC 21-2011), whose median pay is $60,810 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
- SOC 21-2011
- Community and Social Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Correctional Chaplain in four numbers
- Median pay
- $60,810a year, or $29.24/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $38KTop 10% $99K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +2.4%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+2.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +2.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 19,200242,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025242K
- Projected 2035247.8K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 242K Projected 2035 247.8K - Typical education
- Master'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school12.2%
- Some college15.2%
- Bachelor's18.3%
- Master's47.8%
- Professional degree1.3%
- Doctorate5.1%
Highest education held by clergy Segment Value High school 12.2% Some college 15.2% Bachelor's 18.3% Master's 47.8% Professional degree 1.3% Doctorate 5.1%
Also advertised as: Prison Chaplain, Jail Chaplain, Supervisory Chaplain, Religious Services Coordinator, Institutional Chaplain.
Pay
How much do Clergy make?
Every correctional chaplain in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$60,810
Middle half earn $48,260 to $76,640
- 10th
- $37,860
- 25th
- $48,260
- 75th
- $76,640
- 90th
- $98,890
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $37,860 |
| 25th | $48,260 |
| Median | $60,810 |
| 75th | $76,640 |
| 90th | $98,890 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $60,810
- Median hourly wage
- $29.24/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $66,860
- People employed
- 57,200
Versus all US occupations
At $60,810, Clergy earn 19% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $9,830 a year.
Versus community and social service occupations
The median is typical for the Community and Social Service group, where the middle occupation pays $60,300.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $98,890 or more while the bottom 10% earn $37,860, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 33% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $80,830, and still leads at $75,533 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Clergy the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $80,830 | $75,533 | 1,060 |
| 2California | $77,710 | $70,186 | 7,110 |
| 3Nevada | $73,910 | $73,926 | 210 |
| 4Massachusetts | $72,190 | $68,260 | 840 |
| 5New Jersey | $65,500 | $60,199 | 1,460 |
| 6New Hampshire | $65,200 | $62,593 | 100 |
| 7Vermont | $64,950 | $66,304 | 50 |
| 8District of Columbia | $64,800 | $58,962 | 310 |
| 9Maine | $64,340 | $66,296 | 160 |
| 10New Mexico | $64,100 | $69,514 | 270 |
Job outlook
Is Correctional Chaplain a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +2.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Clergy | +2.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Clergy to change 2.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 5,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 19,200 openings are projected each year, 7.9% of the 242,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Correctional Chaplain
Most correctional chaplains hold a Master of Divinity or equivalent theological degree and an endorsement from their faith group, along with ordination and several years of ministry. Clinical Pastoral Education, supervised chaplaincy training in hospitals and other institutions, is often required or strongly preferred, and board certification is valued.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons hires chaplains as federal employees, while states and counties hire their own or contract with faith-based organizations. The American Correctional Chaplains Association provides training and standards. Many chaplains start as volunteers or part-time contract chaplains before moving into full-time roles, then into supervisory chaplain positions overseeing religious services for a facility or region.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as clergy.
- Master's Degree47.8%
- Bachelor's Degree18.3%
- Some College Courses15.2%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)12.2%
- Doctoral Degree5.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | 47.8% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 18.3% |
| Some College Courses | 15.2% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 12.2% |
| Doctoral Degree | 5.1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Correctional Chaplain do?
Correctional chaplains bring religious support into prisons, jails and juvenile facilities. Incarcerated people keep the right to practice their religion, and the chaplain is usually the person who makes that possible. They lead services for their own tradition and coordinate volunteers, contractors and approved materials so that other faith groups can worship too.
They also do a great deal of individual pastoral care: talking with people facing long sentences, notifying them when a family member dies, sitting with the dying in prison hospice units, and supporting staff after violent incidents. Chaplains review requests for religious diets and items, help resolve religious accommodation disputes, and often run reentry and mentoring programs that connect people with faith communities after release.
Day-to-day tasks
- Lead worship services and religious programs
- Provide individual pastoral counseling to incarcerated people
- Coordinate religious volunteers and contract clergy
- Review requests for religious diets, items and accommodations
- Deliver death notifications and grief support
- Minister to the seriously ill in prison medical units
- Support staff after critical incidents
- Connect people nearing release with community faith groups
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Chaplains work inside secure facilities, moving through housing units, chapels and medical areas under strict security procedures. Schedules can include evenings, weekends and holidays when services are held. The setting is emotionally demanding and requires steady judgment.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Speaking4.8
- Active Listening4.3
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Learning3.8
- Learning Strategies3.6
- Monitoring3.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaking | 4.8 |
| Active Listening | 4.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.6 |
| Monitoring | 3.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness4.1
- Instructing4.0
- Service Orientation4.0
- Persuasion3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Time Management3.9
- Coordination3.8
- Negotiation3.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.1 |
| Instructing | 4.0 |
| Service Orientation | 4.0 |
| Persuasion | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Negotiation | 3.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Instant messaging software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Correctional Chaplain?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code SAE) built on O*NET's Clergy profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Correctional Chaplain |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 2 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 4 |
| Social | 6 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Social5.9
- Enterprising4.4
- Artistic4.0
- Conventional2.9
- Investigative2.1
- Realistic2.1
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Correctional Chaplain
O*NET related occupations
- Community and Social Service
- Community and Social Service
- Community and Social Service
- Community and Social Service
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor
$64,330median a year
Most earn $45K to $105K
+2.9%Master's - Community and Social Service
- Management
More community and social service careers
Median annual pay, with clergy highlighted
- Healthcare Social Worker$67,880
- Marriage and Family Therapist$66,940
- Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist$66,270
- Health Education Specialist$64,070
- Correctional Chaplain$60,810
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$60,280
- Community Health Worker$51,850
- Rehabilitation Counselor$46,850
- Social and Human Service Assistant$45,930
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Healthcare Social Worker | $67,880 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $66,940 |
| Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist | $66,270 |
| Health Education Specialist | $64,070 |
| Correctional Chaplain | $60,810 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker | $60,280 |
| Community Health Worker | $51,850 |
| Rehabilitation Counselor | $46,850 |
| Social and Human Service Assistant | $45,930 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Correctional Chaplain appears on
Questions
Correctional Chaplain: frequently asked questions
How much do Clergy make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for clergy. It counts them within clergy, whose median pay is $60,810 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $48,260 and $76,640, and the top 10% earn $98,890 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Correctional Chaplain?
Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Clergy, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 47.8% hold master's degree.
Is Correctional Chaplain a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 2.4% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 19,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Correctional Chaplain do?
Correctional chaplains bring religious support into prisons, jails and juvenile facilities. A typical task: lead worship services and religious programs. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Clergy the most?
The highest state medians for Clergy are Washington ($80,830), California ($77,710), Nevada ($73,910) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Correctional Chaplain?
O*NET scores Clergy highest on the Social, Enterprising and Artistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFJ, ESFP, ENFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.