Correctional officers and jailers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

382k

Average Age

39.5

Estimated Job Growth

−7.49%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$52,133

Average Male Salary

$54,679

Average Female Salary

$45,554

About

Correctional officers and jailers are most often employed by the Justice, public order, & safety activities industry. The average yearly wage for Correctional officers and jailers was $52,133 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Correctional officers and jailers by wage are Biological technicians, Postal service clerks, and Postal service mail carriers.

Correctional officers and jailers are part of the Protective service occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of correctional officers, Firstline supervisors of police & detectives, Firstline supervisors of fire fighting & prevention workers, Miscellaneous first-line supervisors, protective service workers, Firefighters, and 13 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Correctional officers and jailers are Deep East Texas COG (West) & Walker County PUMA, TX, Apalachee Region (Outside Leon County) PUMA, FL, and Clinton, Franklin, Essex & Hamilton Counties PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Correctional officers and jailers are Deep East Texas COG (West) & Walker County PUMA, TX, Florence Town, Eloy (Northeast) & Coolidge Cities PUMA, AZ, and Apalachee Region (Outside Leon County) PUMA, FL.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Correctional officers and jailers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Justice, public order, & safety activities is the industry that employs the most Correctional officers and jailers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Correctional officers and jailers, by average wage, is General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals. Correctional officers and jailers are paid most in Morris Heights, Fordham South & Mount Hope PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Deep East Texas COG (West) & Walker County PUMA, TX.

Yearly Wage

$52,133

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,243

In 2020, Correctional officers and jailers earned an average of $52,133, $3,821 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Biological technicians make somewhat more than Correctional officers and jailers while Postal service clerks make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Correctional officers and jailers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.28

WAGE GINI

In 2019, Correctional officers and jailers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.28, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Correctional officers and jailers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Correctional officers and jailers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Correctional officers and jailers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Correctional officers and jailers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Correctional officers and jailers, by number of employees, are Justice, public order, & safety activities , Executive offices & legislative bodies, National security & international affairs, Other administrative & other support services, Administration of economic programs & space research, Administration of human resource programs, Investigation & security services, U. S. Army, Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities, Bus service & urban transit, and Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Correctional officers and jailers, by average wage, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Public finance activities, and Executive offices & legislative bodies.

Industries by Share

382k

2020 Workforce

± 15,161

−0.142%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 5.61%

The number of people employed as Correctional officers and jailers has been declining at a rate of −0.142%, from 382,845 people in 2019 to 382,300 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Correctional officers and jailers employed by various industries. Justice, public order, & safety activities employs the largest share of Correctional officers and jailers at 96.6%, followed by Executive offices & legislative bodies with 1.03% and National security & international affairs with 0.71%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Correctional officers and jailers in the US. The average age of male Correctional officers and jailers in the workforce is 39.5 and of female Correctional officers and jailers is 39.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Correctional officers and jailers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

276k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 12,877

107k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 8,016

72.1% of Correctional officers and jailers are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Correctional officers and jailers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Correctional officers and jailers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

56.2% of Correctional officers and jailers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 23.5% of Correctional officers and jailers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Correctional officers and jailers.

Age by Sex

39.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.574

39.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.927

The median age of Correctional officers and jailers is 39.5, and Male employees are generally 0.122 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Correctional officers and jailers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Correctional officers and jailers is Protective Services but a relatively high number of Correctional officers and jailers hold a major in Protective Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Projections

Projections on job growth for Correctional Officers and Jailers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Correctional Officers and Jailers are expected to see a growth of −7.49% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−7.49%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Correctional Officers and Jailers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.