Protective Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 33-3011

Bailiffs

The published band from $32,140 to $96,770 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Detectives and Criminal Investigators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Bailiffs: Detectives and Criminal Investigators ($94K) , Parking Enforcement Workers ($47K) , Fish and Game Wardens ($74K) , Transit and Railroad Police ($90K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Bailiffs publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 33-3011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and…
  2. 2. Escort prisoners to and from courthouse and maintain custody of prisoners during court proceedings
  3. 3. Maintain order in courtroom during trial and guard jury from outside contact
  4. 4. Provide security by patrolling interior and exterior of courthouse and escorting judges and other court employees
  5. 5. Guard lodging of sequestered jury
  6. 6. Enforce courtroom rules of behavior and warn persons not to smoke or disturb court procedure
  7. 7. Arrest persons in court when arrest warrants have been issued
  8. 8. Report need for police or medical assistance to sheriff's office
  9. 9. Maintain court docket
  10. 10. Check courtroom for security and cleanliness and assure availability of sundry supplies, such as notepads, for use by judge, jurors, and…
  11. 11. Stop people from entering courtroom while judge charges jury
  12. 12. Screen, control, and handle evidence and exhibits during court proceedings

Bailiffs: O*NET ranks Social Perceptiveness first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 33-3011 - lead skill Social Perceptiveness at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  2. 2. Speaking 3.4
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.4
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.3
  5. 5. Judgment and Decision Making 3.3
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.0
  7. 7. Time Management 3.0
  8. 8. Reading Comprehension 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.3
  2. 2. Law and Government 4.1
  3. 3. English Language 3.6
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 3.0
  5. 5. Psychology 3.0
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.9
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$32,140 to $96,770
median $56,600 · ~3.0× spread
$57K
National median
↓ -2%
Growth 2024-2034
1,800
Annual openings
17,310
Estimated US jobs
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Highest-pay peer · $94K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Bailiffs

1. Kansas $69,390
2. Massachusetts $86,730
3. New York $77,540
4. Colorado $63,320
5. Washington $78,290
6. Nevada $71,230
7. Maine $62,800
8. Nebraska $76,090
9. Connecticut $111,890
10. Alaska $90,600

Other Protective Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Fish and Game Wardens $74,060
  2. 2. Parking Enforcement Workers $46,730
  3. 3. Transit and Railroad Police $90,230
  4. 4. Detectives and Criminal Investigators $93,790
  5. 5. First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other $76,400
  6. 6. Correctional Officers and Jailers $58,940

The OEWS band for Bailiffs runs from $32,140 (10th) to $96,770 (90th), about 3.0× wide, with median $56,600. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -2% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Kansas at $69,390. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Detectives and Criminal Investigators at $93,790. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Bailiffs pay-rank #14 in Protective Service Occupations

Bailiffs sits at pay-rank #14 of 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Bailiffs is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Bailiffs salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 33-3011

Kansas · top state for Bailiffs

$69K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$87K · behind Kansas

Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Highest-pay peer vs Bailiffs · $94K

Parking Enforcement Workers

Lower-pay peer beside Bailiffs · $47K

Compare Bailiffs

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Bailiffs with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bailiffs mid-table among Protective Service Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #14 of 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists ($57K), First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers ($56K), Correctional Officers and Jailers ($59K), Firefighters ($59K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do bailiffs do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Bailiffs. Leading ones include: Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and…; Escort prisoners to and from courthouse and maintain custody of prisoners during court proceedings; Maintain order in courtroom during trial and guard jury from outside contact; Provide security by patrolling interior and exterior of courthouse and escorting judges and other court employees. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for bailiffs? ▼
For SOC 33-3011, O*NET importance scores lead with Social Perceptiveness (4.0), Speaking (3.4), Monitoring (3.4), Active Listening (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Bailiffs? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $32,140 and the 90th at $96,770 for Bailiffs (3.0× spread). The national median is $56,600. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Bailiffs? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Bailiffs is -2%. Projected annual openings: about 1,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Bailiffs? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Bailiffs. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Bailiffs? ▼
Kansas ($69,390), Massachusetts ($86,730), New York ($77,540) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Bailiffs card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 33-3011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Bailiffs. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics