Protective Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Occupation-level safety SOC 33-3012

Correctional Officers and Jailers

Occupation-specific BLS fatality and injury rates set the reading order for Correctional Officers and Jailers, then wages beside peers such as Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers, Parking Enforcement Workers, Private Detectives and Investigators, Transportation Security Screeners.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Correctional Officers and Jailers: Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers ($76K) , Parking Enforcement Workers ($47K) , Private Detectives and Investigators ($51K) , Transportation Security Screeners ($67K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Correctional Officers and Jailers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 33-3012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present
  2. 2. Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes
  3. 3. Monitor conduct of prisoners in housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations…
  4. 4. Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs
  5. 5. Guard facility entrances to screen visitors
  6. 6. Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities
  7. 7. Inspect mail for the presence of contraband
  8. 8. Search for and recapture escapees
  9. 9. Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges
  10. 10. Use weapons, handcuffs, and physical force to maintain discipline and order among prisoners
  11. 11. Use nondisciplinary tools and equipment, such as a computer
  12. 12. Process or book convicted individuals into prison

Correctional Officers and Jailers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 33-3012 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.0
  2. 2. Monitoring 4.0
  3. 3. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  4. 4. Speaking 3.9
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.8
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 3.6
  7. 7. Coordination 3.5
  8. 8. Persuasion 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.1
  2. 2. English Language 4.0
  3. 3. Law and Government 3.8
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 3.5
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.5
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 3.4
Occupation safety grade
C
Moderate Risk
Transparent derived index from BLS CFOI/SOII, not an official BLS rating · formula
National median still $58,940/yr
$59K
National median
↓ -8%
Growth 2024-2034
30,100
Annual openings
380,500
Estimated US jobs
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
Highest-pay peer · $76K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Correctional Officers and Jailers

1. Nevada $76,490
2. Massachusetts $86,310
3. Alaska $71,360
4. New York $76,820
5. Washington $79,460
6. Wisconsin $73,470
7. California $96,370
8. Oregon $83,690
9. Illinois $79,190
10. New Jersey $94,770

Other Protective Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Parking Enforcement Workers $46,730
  2. 2. Private Detectives and Investigators $51,220
  3. 3. Transportation Security Screeners $66,770
  4. 4. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $76,210
  5. 5. Fish and Game Wardens $74,060
  6. 6. Firefighters $59,280

Correctional Officers and Jailers carries an occupation-specific WageDex safety grade of C from BLS CFOI/SOII rates. The national OEWS median is $58,940 inside Protective Service Occupations (SOC 33-3012).

Employment Projections expect -8% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 30,100 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.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Nevada at $76,490. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers at $76,210. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Correctional Officers and Jailers pay-rank #12 in Protective Service Occupations

Correctional Officers and Jailers sits at pay-rank #12 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.

SOC 33-3012 · national median $58,940 · middle third of Protective Service Occupations (#12/24). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Correctional Officers and Jailers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 33-3012

Nevada · top state for Correctional Officers and Jailers

$76K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$86K · behind Nevada

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

Highest-pay peer vs Correctional Officers and Jailers · $76K

Parking Enforcement Workers

Lower-pay peer beside Correctional Officers and Jailers · $47K

Compare Correctional Officers and Jailers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Correctional Officers and Jailers with another occupation →

Safety and risk next reads

Safest Occupations

Roles with the strongest published safety grades

Correctional Officers and Jailers full wage map

State and metro pay after the safety lead

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Correctional Officers and Jailers mid-table among Protective Service Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #12 of 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Firefighters ($59K), Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists ($57K), Bailiffs ($57K), First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers ($56K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do correctional officers and jailers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Correctional Officers and Jailers. Leading ones include: Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present; Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes; Monitor conduct of prisoners in housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations…; Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for correctional officers and jailers? ▼
For SOC 33-3012, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Monitoring (4.0), Social Perceptiveness (4.0), Speaking (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, English Language, Law and Government. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Correctional Officers and Jailers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $58,940 as the national median for Correctional Officers and Jailers. The published 10th-90th range is $42,760 to $93,220. Beside Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers ($76,210), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Correctional Officers and Jailers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Correctional Officers and Jailers is -8%. Projected annual openings: about 30,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Correctional Officers and Jailers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Correctional Officers and Jailers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Correctional Officers and Jailers? ▼
Nevada ($76,490), Massachusetts ($86,310), Alaska ($71,360) 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 Correctional Officers and Jailers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 33-3012. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Correctional Officers and Jailers. 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