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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

33-3012 Correctional Officers and Jailers

Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in correctional institutions.


National estimates for Correctional Officers and Jailers
Industry profile for Correctional Officers and Jailers
Geographic profile for Correctional Officers and Jailers

National estimates for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
363,250 0.3 % $ 26.33 $ 54,760 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.07 $ 19.16 $ 23.85 $ 30.82 $ 39.71
Annual Wage (2) $ 35,510 $ 39,850 $ 49,610 $ 64,110 $ 82,600


Industry profile for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Correctional Officers and Jailers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Correctional Officers and Jailers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 182,010 8.58 $ 27.01 $ 56,190
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 149,960 2.79 $ 25.76 $ 53,580
Facilities Support Services 14,750 8.53 $ 20.26 $ 42,140
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 14,710 0.71 $ 30.12 $ 62,650
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 260 0.11 $ 22.97 $ 47,790

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 182,010 8.58 $ 27.01 $ 56,190
Facilities Support Services 14,750 8.53 $ 20.26 $ 42,140
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 149,960 2.79 $ 25.76 $ 53,580
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 14,710 0.71 $ 30.12 $ 62,650
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 260 0.11 $ 22.97 $ 47,790

Top paying industries for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 14,710 0.71 $ 30.12 $ 62,650
Investigation and Security Services (8) (8) $ 27.80 $ 57,830
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 182,010 8.58 $ 27.01 $ 56,190
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 149,960 2.79 $ 25.76 $ 53,580
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 260 0.11 $ 22.97 $ 47,790


Geographic profile for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Correctional Officers and Jailers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Correctional Officers and Jailers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of correctional officers and jailers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Correctional Officers and Jailers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 41,840 3.22 1.31 $ 21.42 $ 44,550
California 35,310 2.00 0.82 $ 40.63 $ 84,520
New York 31,650 3.47 1.41 $ 33.93 $ 70,570
Florida 16,870 1.83 0.75 $ 23.42 $ 48,720
Pennsylvania 15,910 2.74 1.11 $ 27.97 $ 58,190


Map of location quotient of correctional officers and jailers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Correctional Officers and Jailers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Arizona 12,790 4.22 1.72 $ 22.73 $ 47,270
West Virginia 2,790 4.12 1.68 $ 21.31 $ 44,320
Alaska 1,240 4.05 1.65 $ 32.66 $ 67,940
Arkansas 4,630 3.76 1.53 $ 18.83 $ 39,170
New Mexico 3,070 3.75 1.53 $ 19.07 $ 39,660


Map of annual mean wages of correctional officers and jailers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 35,310 2.00 0.82 $ 40.63 $ 84,520
New Jersey 8,610 2.10 0.85 $ 36.93 $ 76,810
New York 31,650 3.47 1.41 $ 33.93 $ 70,570
Oregon 4,480 2.36 0.96 $ 33.63 $ 69,950
Massachusetts 5,520 1.55 0.63 $ 33.24 $ 69,140



Map of employment of correctional officers and jailers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 18,560 2.02 0.82 $ 38.57 $ 80,230
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 8,180 2.68 1.09 $ 22.23 $ 46,230
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 7,870 3.54 1.44 $ 23.28 $ 48,430
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 6,590 1.73 0.71 $ 23.98 $ 49,880
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 5,870 2.12 0.86 $ 27.96 $ 58,150
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 5,470 1.24 0.50 $ 33.40 $ 69,460
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 4,970 1.84 0.75 $ 33.81 $ 70,330
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 4,680 0.77 0.31 $ 35.61 $ 74,080
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 4,150 2.54 1.03 $ 40.32 $ 83,860
Bakersfield, CA 3,430 10.57 4.30 $ 43.61 $ 90,710


Map of location quotient of correctional officers and jailers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pine Bluff, AR 1,000 34.62 14.10 $ 20.53 $ 42,700
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ 1,580 26.03 10.60 $ 37.47 $ 77,940
The Villages, FL 880 24.27 9.88 $ 26.11 $ 54,310
El Centro, CA 1,280 20.46 8.33 $ 44.33 $ 92,210
Glens Falls, NY 920 18.77 7.64 $ 28.57 $ 59,430
Yuma, AZ 1,140 16.86 6.87 $ 20.97 $ 43,630
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 520 15.51 6.31 $ 20.56 $ 42,750
Terre Haute, IN 880 13.86 5.64 $ 23.12 $ 48,090
Carson City, NV 370 12.37 5.04 $ 27.29 $ 56,750
Killeen-Temple, TX 1,690 11.71 4.77 $ 20.00 $ 41,600


Map of annual mean wages of correctional officers and jailers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 890 0.79 0.32 $ 49.86 $ 103,700
Salinas, CA 1,440 7.90 3.22 $ 45.37 $ 94,370
El Centro, CA 1,280 20.46 8.33 $ 44.33 $ 92,210
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 1,370 9.91 4.04 $ 43.86 $ 91,230
Bakersfield, CA 3,430 10.57 4.30 $ 43.61 $ 90,710
Stockton-Lodi, CA 1,310 4.76 1.94 $ 42.30 $ 87,970
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,610 0.67 0.27 $ 42.20 $ 87,770
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 90 0.97 0.39 $ 40.89 $ 85,060
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 4,150 2.54 1.03 $ 40.32 $ 83,860
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 440 2.15 0.88 $ 39.28 $ 81,700

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 4,480 22.97 9.35 $ 20.14 $ 41,900
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 3,280 23.93 9.74 $ 29.71 $ 61,790
North Florida nonmetropolitan area 3,220 27.21 11.08 $ 19.39 $ 40,320
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 3,110 16.85 6.86 $ 28.23 $ 58,710
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 2,590 16.81 6.84 $ 29.70 $ 61,780

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Florida nonmetropolitan area 3,220 27.21 11.08 $ 19.39 $ 40,320
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 3,280 23.93 9.74 $ 29.71 $ 61,790
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 4,480 22.97 9.35 $ 20.14 $ 41,900
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 1,200 19.73 8.03 $ 44.42 $ 92,390
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 1,860 18.26 7.44 $ 27.37 $ 56,930

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Correctional Officers and Jailers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 1,200 19.73 8.03 $ 44.42 $ 92,390
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 1,220 12.11 4.93 $ 39.74 $ 82,660
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 970 9.31 3.79 $ 38.15 $ 79,350
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 490 4.83 1.97 $ 33.40 $ 69,470
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area 1,280 18.06 7.35 $ 32.28 $ 67,130


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023