Correctional Officers and Jailers pay in the U.S.
$63,630avg. a year
$30.59 an hour · 380,500 employed
Correctional Officers and Jailers in the U.S. earn an average of $63,630 a year and a median of $58,940. Pay is highest in California ($92,410) and lowest in Mississippi ($40,550).
$58,940Median pay
$30.59Average hourly
+22%Avg. pay since 2020
380,500Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for correctional officers and jailers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
137,860 jobs
California
$92,410
$44.43 an hour
27,570 jobs
New Jersey
$87,780
$42.20 an hour
36,360 jobs
Massachusetts
$82,890
$39.85 an hour
43,240 jobs
Nevada
$82,150
$39.49 an hour
53,650 jobs
Oregon
$80,890
$38.89 an hour
66,800 jobs
Washington
$78,150
$37.57 an hour
712,190 jobs
Illinois
$78,080
$37.54 an hour
827,770 jobs
New York
$77,240
$37.13 an hour
9850 jobs
Alaska
$74,430
$35.78 an hour
107,360 jobs
Wisconsin
$73,690
$35.43 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Correctional Officers and Jailers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $52k$52k–$57k$57k–$68k$68k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $126,290 | $60.71 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $102,510 | $49.29 |
| Salinas, CA | $99,160 | $47.67 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $97,620 | $46.93 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $96,930 | $46.60 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $95,460 | $45.90 |
| Vineland, NJ | $95,300 | $45.82 |
| Fresno, CA | $90,780 | $43.64 |
Related jobs
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$79,200
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators$99,430
- Bailiffs$61,660
- Parking Enforcement Workers$51,190
- Fish and Game Wardens$74,950
- Transit and Railroad Police$91,810
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Correctional Officers and Jailers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $50,300 | $46,660 | 4,970 |
| Alaska | $74,430 | $71,360 | 850 |
| Arizona | $56,080 | $54,970 | 14,230 |
| Arkansas | $41,920 | $40,330 | 4,460 |
| California | $92,410 | $96,370 | 37,860 |
| Colorado | $66,360 | $62,140 | 7,290 |
| Connecticut | $64,570 | $64,750 | 3,780 |
| Delaware | $63,580 | $65,880 | 1,730 |
| Florida | $57,900 | $49,710 | 24,280 |
| Georgia | $47,980 | $47,520 | 10,640 |
| Hawaii | $72,280 | $69,570 | 1,310 |
| Idaho | $57,350 | $53,580 | 2,370 |
| Illinois | $78,080 | $79,190 | 12,190 |
| Indiana | $51,030 | $48,340 | 8,060 |
| Iowa | $57,140 | $53,040 | 3,440 |
| Kansas | $53,770 | $56,120 | 3,380 |
| Kentucky | $44,870 | $42,310 | 6,770 |
| Louisiana | $42,830 | $39,850 | 7,960 |
| Maine | $53,790 | $52,730 | 1,090 |
| Maryland | $66,140 | $64,250 | 6,060 |
| Massachusetts | $82,890 | $86,310 | 6,360 |
| Michigan | $63,120 | $64,020 | 8,220 |
| Minnesota | $67,870 | $66,040 | 5,350 |
| Mississippi | $40,550 | $38,720 | 4,040 |
| Missouri | $46,230 | $42,620 | 6,670 |
| Montana | $52,980 | $49,180 | 1,430 |
| Nebraska | $64,120 | $63,380 | 3,250 |
| Nevada | $82,150 | $76,490 | 3,240 |
| New Hampshire | $65,030 | $61,360 | 680 |
| New Jersey | $87,780 | $94,770 | 7,570 |
| New Mexico | $48,570 | $47,940 | 2,740 |
| New York | $77,240 | $76,820 | 27,770 |
| North Carolina | $51,390 | $50,550 | 11,900 |
| North Dakota | $55,090 | $52,460 | 1,290 |
| Ohio | $58,660 | $59,370 | 12,610 |
| Oklahoma | $45,380 | $45,690 | 3,730 |
| Oregon | $80,890 | $83,690 | 3,650 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,650 | $63,460 | 15,560 |
| South Carolina | $51,520 | $47,890 | 4,870 |
| South Dakota | $53,260 | $53,040 | 1,490 |
| Tennessee | $51,420 | $50,940 | 6,990 |
| Texas | $53,330 | $52,670 | 44,700 |
| Utah | $67,930 | $67,290 | 2,050 |
| Vermont | $56,890 | $53,810 | 450 |
| Virginia | $54,450 | $50,140 | 11,270 |
| Washington | $78,150 | $79,460 | 6,800 |
| West Virginia | $56,670 | $52,890 | 2,980 |
| Wisconsin | $73,690 | $73,470 | 7,360 |
| Wyoming | $57,310 | $54,780 | 920 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$85,240
14,730 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$57,230
8,920 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$54,350
8,650 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$83,090
6,070 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$69,420
5,570 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$58,330
5,170 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$70,650
5,010 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$80,440
4,940 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do correctional officers and jailers make?
The average is $63,630 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $58,940 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $30.59, and the median is $28.34 an hour.
Which state pays correctional officers and jailers the most?
California, with an average of $92,410 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $126,290.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $42,760 a year, and the top 10% earn over $93,220.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 33-3012. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.