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.
Correctional Officer and Jailer Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Correctional Officers and Jailers earn a median of $58,940 per year ($28.34/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 7.8% through 2034, with about 30,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 33-3012Protective ServiceLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $58,940
- Projected growth
- -7.8%
- Openings a year
- 30,100
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Booking Officer, Community Services Officer (CSO), Correctional Officer, Corrections Officer (CO), Deputy Jailer, Detention Deputy.
How much do Correctional Officers and Jailers make?
10th percentile$42,760
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$48,640
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$58,940
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$75,850
Upper quartile
90th percentile$93,220
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $58,940 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $28.34/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $63,630 |
| People employed | 380,500 |
Versus all US occupations
At $58,940, Correctional Officers and Jailers earn 16% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $7,960 a year.
Versus protective service occupations
The median is typical for the Protective Service group, where the middle occupation pays $59,110.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $93,220 or more while the bottom 10% earn $42,760, a gap of 2.2×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 40% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($96,370), but once local prices are taken into account New Jersey leads at $87,101 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Correctional Officers and Jailers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $96,370 | $87,039 | 37,860 |
| New Jersey | $94,770 | $87,101 | 7,570 |
| Massachusetts | $86,310 | $81,612 | 6,360 |
| Oregon | $83,690 | $80,969 | 3,650 |
| Washington | $79,460 | $74,253 | 6,800 |
| Illinois | $79,190 | $79,223 | 12,190 |
| New York | $76,820 | $71,182 | 27,770 |
| Nevada | $76,490 | $76,506 | 3,240 |
| Wisconsin | $73,470 | $78,081 | 7,360 |
| Alaska | $71,360 | $69,715 | 850 |
Is Correctional Officer and Jailer a growing career?
Correctional Officers and Jailers-7.8%
All US occupations3.1%
-7.8% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Correctional Officers and Jailers to change -7.8% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 30,100 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 30,100 openings are projected each year, 7.8% of the 387,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of correctional officers and bailiffs is projected to grow 7 percent from 2024 to 2034, decline.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Although correctional officers will continue to be needed, changes to criminal laws have a large effect on how many people are arrested and incarcerated each year. Faced with high costs for keeping people in prison, many state governments have moved toward laws requiring shorter prison terms and alternatives to prison. While keeping the public safe, community-based programs that are designed to rehabilitate prisoners and limit their risk of repeated offenses also may reduce prisoner counts.
Demand for bailiffs will stem from the need to maintain security in courtrooms during legal proceedings. However, employment growth for bailiffs may be limited by state and local budget constraints.
How to become a Correctional Officer and Jailer
Correctional officers and bailiffs typically need a high school diploma to enter their occupation. They typically attend a training academy.
Although qualifications vary by state and agency, many agencies set a minimum age for correctional officers that is usually between 18 and 21. Federal agencies also may require officers to have a bachelor’s degree or work experience and may have a maximum age for entry.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as correctional officers and jailers.
- High School Diploma92.4%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)7.6%
What does a Correctional Officer and Jailer do?
Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in correctional institutions.
Correctional officers guard people in penal institutions and guard those in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Bailiffs, also known as marshals or court officers, are law enforcement officers who maintain order in courtrooms.
Day-to-day tasks
- Participate in required job training.
- Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
- Conduct fire, safety, and sanitation inspections.
- Provide to supervisors oral and written reports of the quality and quantity of work performed by inmates, inmate disturbances and rule violations, and unusual occurrences.
- Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
- Counsel inmates and respond to legitimate questions, concerns, and requests.
- Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities.
- Monitor conduct of prisoners in housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations, and procedures, to prevent escape or violence.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where correctional officers and jailers work
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 60% |
|---|---|
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 32% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Monitoring4.0/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.8/5
- Reading Comprehension3.6/5
- Active Learning3.3/5
- Writing3.0/5
- Learning Strategies3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Coordination3.5/5
- Persuasion3.4/5
- Negotiation3.3/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3/5
- Instructing3.0/5
- Service Orientation3.0/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- 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
- Data base management system software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Correctional Officer and Jailer?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary5.3
Investigative1.7
Artistic1.1
Socialprimary3.9
Enterprising3.2
Conventionalprimary4.8
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
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.
Correctional Officer and Jailer: frequently asked questions
How much do Correctional Officers and Jailers make?
Correctional Officers and Jailers earn a median of $58,940 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 16% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $28.34/hr. The middle half earn between $48,640 and $75,850. The top 10% earn $93,220 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Correctional Officer and Jailer?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Correctional Officers and Jailers. 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, 92.4% hold high school diploma.
Is Correctional Officer and Jailer a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 7.8% over 2024–2034, a loss of 30,100 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 30,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Correctional Officer and Jailer do?
Correctional officers guard people in penal institutions and guard those in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. A core O*NET task: participate in required job training. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Correctional Officers and Jailers the most?
The highest state medians for Correctional Officers and Jailers are California ($96,370), New Jersey ($94,770), Massachusetts ($86,310) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, New Jersey moves to the top at $87,101.
What personality type suits a Correctional Officer and Jailer?
O*NET scores Correctional Officers and Jailers highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ESTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.