Protective Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 33-1011

First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

The published band from $52,330 to $127,780 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 First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers: Detectives and Criminal Investigators ($94K) , Parking Enforcement Workers ($47K) , Fish and Game Wardens ($74K) , Private Detectives and Investigators ($51K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 33-1011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Take, receive, or check periodic inmate counts
  2. 2. Maintain order, discipline, and security within assigned areas in accordance with relevant rules, regulations, policies, and laws
  3. 3. Maintain knowledge of, comply with, and enforce all institutional policies, rules, procedures, and regulations
  4. 4. Respond to emergencies, such as escapes
  5. 5. Supervise and direct the work of correctional officers to ensure the safe custody, discipline, and welfare of inmates
  6. 6. Supervise or perform searches of inmates or their quarters to locate contraband items
  7. 7. Monitor behavior of subordinates to ensure alert, courteous, and professional behavior toward inmates, parolees, fellow employees, visito…
  8. 8. Restrain, secure, or control offenders, using chemical agents, firearms, or other weapons of force as necessary
  9. 9. Carry injured offenders or employees to safety and provide emergency first aid when necessary
  10. 10. Complete administrative paperwork or supervise the preparation or maintenance of records, forms, or reports
  11. 11. Supervise activities, such as searches, shakedowns, riot control, or institutional tours
  12. 12. Conduct roll calls of correctional officers

First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 33-1011 - 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. Critical Thinking 4.0
  3. 3. Monitoring 4.0
  4. 4. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  5. 5. Coordination 4.0
  6. 6. Speaking 3.9
  7. 7. Reading Comprehension 3.8
  8. 8. Management of Personnel Resources 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.8
  2. 2. Law and Government 4.4
  3. 3. Administration and Management 4.2
  4. 4. Psychology 4.1
  5. 5. English Language 4.0
  6. 6. Administrative 3.7
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$52,330 to $127,780
median $77,970 · ~2.4× spread
$78K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
4,300
Annual openings
53,380
Estimated US jobs
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Highest-pay peer · $94K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

1. Nevada $107,260
2. Massachusetts $105,930
3. California $131,210
4. Alaska $98,420
5. Oregon $99,890
6. Utah $110,410
7. Washington $98,910
8. New Jersey $117,450
9. New York $103,320
10. Illinois $105,450

Other Protective Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Fish and Game Wardens $74,060
  2. 2. Private Detectives and Investigators $51,220
  3. 3. Detectives and Criminal Investigators $93,790
  4. 4. Parking Enforcement Workers $46,730
  5. 5. Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists $56,870
  6. 6. First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers $55,940

The OEWS band for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers runs from $52,330 (10th) to $127,780 (90th), about 2.4× wide, with median $77,970. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 4,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. 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: Nevada at $107,260. 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.

First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers pay-rank #5 in Protective Service Occupations

Among 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations with a published OEWS median, First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers is pay-rank #5, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third 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 33-1011 · national median $77,970 · upper third of Protective Service Occupations (#5/24). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 33-1011

Nevada · top state for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

$107K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$106K · behind Nevada

Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Highest-pay peer vs First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers · $94K

Parking Enforcement Workers

Lower-pay peer beside First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers · $47K

Compare First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers 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

Which Protective Service Occupations titles sit near First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers at the top of the pay table? ▼
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers is pay-rank #5 of 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other ($76K), Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers ($76K), Fire Inspectors and Investigators ($76K), Transit and Railroad Police ($90K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do first-line supervisors of correctional officers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers. Leading ones include: Take, receive, or check periodic inmate counts; Maintain order, discipline, and security within assigned areas in accordance with relevant rules, regulations, policies, and laws; Maintain knowledge of, comply with, and enforce all institutional policies, rules, procedures, and regulations; Respond to emergencies, such as escapes. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for first-line supervisors of correctional officers? ▼
For SOC 33-1011, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0), Monitoring (4.0), Social Perceptiveness (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $52,330 and the 90th at $127,780 for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers (2.4× spread). The national median is $77,970. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 4,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers? ▼
Nevada ($107,260), Massachusetts ($105,930), California ($131,210) 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 First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 33-1011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers. 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