occupation · 33-3012 · detailed
Correctional Officers and Jailers — wages and employment
Correctional Officers and Jailers earned a median annual wage of $57,970 in the United States in May 2024, with 365,380 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Correctional Officers and Jailers earned a median annual wage of $57,970 in the United States in May 2024, with 365,380 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $41,750 or less, the best-paid tenth $93,000 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $53,300 to $57,970, +8.8 %. The best-paying state is California at $95,840; the lowest Mississippi at $36,710. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $131,210. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 365,380 | $57,970 | $62,760 | $41,750 | $47,520 | $75,330 | $93,000 | $27.87 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 351,420 | $53,300 | $58,810 | $38,340 | $44,890 | $68,580 | $87,250 | $25.63 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $95,840 | 37,760 |
| New Jersey | $90,150 | 7,840 |
| Oregon | $83,120 | 3,910 |
| Massachusetts | $78,830 | 5,810 |
| Illinois | $78,750 | 12,210 |
| Nevada | $76,800 | 3,010 |
| Washington | $76,400 | 6,470 |
| New York | $75,330 | 29,710 |
| Wisconsin | $74,490 | 6,290 |
| Alaska | $71,360 | 810 |
| Hawaii | $66,250 | 1,260 |
| Michigan | $65,250 | 8,200 |
| Minnesota | $64,670 | 3,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,540 | 15,260 |
| Connecticut | $62,690 | 3,710 |
| Nebraska | $62,680 | 3,150 |
| Maryland | $62,380 | 5,950 |
| New Hampshire | $61,420 | 620 |
| Utah | $61,340 | 1,980 |
| Delaware | $61,000 | 1,610 |
| Colorado | $60,670 | 6,900 |
| Rhode Island | $60,170 | 990 |
| Ohio | $58,840 | 12,350 |
| North Dakota | $55,760 | 1,020 |
| Arizona | $54,970 | 13,840 |
| South Dakota | $52,310 | 1,380 |
| Wyoming | $51,740 | 850 |
| Tennessee | $51,490 | 7,610 |
| Idaho | $51,440 | 2,240 |
| Iowa | $51,420 | 3,210 |
| Maine | $51,270 | 1,010 |
| Texas | $51,020 | 39,150 |
| West Virginia | $49,990 | 2,640 |
| Virginia | $49,980 | 11,720 |
| Montana | $49,700 | 1,320 |
| Vermont | $49,110 | 460 |
| North Carolina | $49,080 | 11,780 |
| South Carolina | $48,470 | 4,940 |
| Florida | $48,260 | 22,390 |
| New Mexico | $47,420 | 2,960 |
| Alabama | $46,400 | 4,730 |
| Kansas | $46,080 | 3,640 |
| Oklahoma | $45,970 | 3,690 |
| Indiana | $45,970 | 6,870 |
| Georgia | $44,500 | 10,090 |
| Louisiana | $41,820 | 7,290 |
| Missouri | $41,310 | 5,920 |
| Arkansas | $40,330 | 4,250 |
| Kentucky | $40,230 | 5,870 |
| Mississippi | $36,710 | 4,530 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $131,210 | 1,050 |
| Salinas, CA | $106,490 | 1,490 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $104,090 | 700 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $104,090 | 3,290 |
| El Centro, CA | $104,090 | 1,320 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $100,540 | 1,620 |
| Vineland, NJ | $99,480 | 1,160 |
| Merced, CA | $98,550 | 240 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $93,690 | 4,920 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $92,190 | 15,680 |
| Fresno, CA | $92,010 | 2,640 |
| Greeley, CO | $90,220 | 280 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $87,590 | 1,370 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $86,930 | 1,970 |
| Worcester, MA | $86,060 | 420 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $85,400 | 4,810 |
| Eau Claire, WI | $85,280 | 350 |
| Bellingham, WA | $83,860 | 130 |
| Salem, OR | $82,920 | 780 |
| Bend, OR | $82,380 | 190 |
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