Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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) |
| 392,600 |
0.4 % |
$ 25.69 |
$ 53,420 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Correctional Officers and Jailers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 16.64 |
$ 18.55 |
$ 23.04 |
$ 30.26 |
$ 38.14 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 34,600 |
$ 38,590 |
$ 47,920 |
$ 62,940 |
$ 79,340 |
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) |
206,020 |
9.39 |
$ 25.71 |
$ 53,470 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
150,450 |
2.80 |
$ 25.92 |
$ 53,920 |
| Facilities Support Services |
19,260 |
11.50 |
$ 21.39 |
$ 44,480 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
15,680 |
0.74 |
$ 28.70 |
$ 59,690 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals |
410 |
0.17 |
$ 23.57 |
$ 49,030 |
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) |
| Facilities Support Services |
19,260 |
11.50 |
$ 21.39 |
$ 44,480 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
206,020 |
9.39 |
$ 25.71 |
$ 53,470 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
150,450 |
2.80 |
$ 25.92 |
$ 53,920 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
15,680 |
0.74 |
$ 28.70 |
$ 59,690 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals |
410 |
0.17 |
$ 23.57 |
$ 49,030 |
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) |
15,680 |
0.74 |
$ 28.70 |
$ 59,690 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
150,450 |
2.80 |
$ 25.92 |
$ 53,920 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
206,020 |
9.39 |
$ 25.71 |
$ 53,470 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals |
410 |
0.17 |
$ 23.57 |
$ 49,030 |
| Facilities Support Services |
19,260 |
11.50 |
$ 21.39 |
$ 44,480 |
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.
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 |
39,030 |
3.19 |
1.15 |
$ 21.06 |
$ 43,800 |
| California |
37,640 |
2.28 |
0.82 |
$ 39.03 |
$ 81,170 |
| New York |
34,280 |
3.95 |
1.42 |
$ 34.21 |
$ 71,160 |
| Florida |
21,890 |
2.54 |
0.91 |
$ 21.95 |
$ 45,650 |
| Pennsylvania |
16,590 |
2.97 |
1.07 |
$ 28.01 |
$ 58,260 |
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) |
| Arkansas |
6,020 |
5.06 |
1.81 |
$ 17.68 |
$ 36,770 |
| West Virginia |
3,270 |
4.98 |
1.79 |
$ 20.32 |
$ 42,270 |
| Arizona |
14,160 |
4.92 |
1.76 |
$ 21.67 |
$ 45,070 |
| Louisiana |
8,160 |
4.55 |
1.63 |
$ 18.25 |
$ 37,960 |
| New Mexico |
3,280 |
4.22 |
1.52 |
$ 18.83 |
$ 39,170 |
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 |
37,640 |
2.28 |
0.82 |
$ 39.03 |
$ 81,170 |
| New Jersey |
9,670 |
2.51 |
0.90 |
$ 35.33 |
$ 73,490 |
| Massachusetts |
5,560 |
1.64 |
0.59 |
$ 34.74 |
$ 72,260 |
| New York |
34,280 |
3.95 |
1.42 |
$ 34.21 |
$ 71,160 |
| Oregon |
4,700 |
2.58 |
0.92 |
$ 33.07 |
$ 68,790 |
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 |
20,470 |
2.36 |
0.85 |
$ 37.59 |
$ 78,190 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
8,510 |
4.02 |
1.44 |
$ 22.22 |
$ 46,220 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
7,560 |
2.61 |
0.94 |
$ 21.93 |
$ 45,610 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
6,170 |
2.32 |
0.83 |
$ 27.34 |
$ 56,870 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
5,850 |
1.38 |
0.50 |
$ 32.76 |
$ 68,140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
5,130 |
0.90 |
0.32 |
$ 35.84 |
$ 74,550 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
4,990 |
1.93 |
0.69 |
$ 35.28 |
$ 73,380 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
4,610 |
1.28 |
0.46 |
$ 24.62 |
$ 51,210 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
4,170 |
2.72 |
0.98 |
$ 38.40 |
$ 79,870 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
4,070 |
1.66 |
0.60 |
$ 26.94 |
$ 56,040 |
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 |
1,520 |
51.14 |
18.35 |
$ 18.45 |
$ 38,380 |
| Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ |
1,630 |
27.70 |
9.94 |
$ 33.54 |
$ 69,750 |
| Walla Walla, WA |
620 |
23.99 |
8.61 |
$ 28.48 |
$ 59,230 |
| El Centro, CA |
1,340 |
22.87 |
8.21 |
$ 41.40 |
$ 86,110 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV |
740 |
21.12 |
7.58 |
$ 24.02 |
$ 49,960 |
| Glens Falls, NY |
940 |
19.23 |
6.90 |
$ 29.96 |
$ 62,310 |
| Yuma, AZ |
1,140 |
18.31 |
6.57 |
$ 20.28 |
$ 42,170 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ |
600 |
17.62 |
6.32 |
$ 19.59 |
$ 40,750 |
| Terre Haute, IN |
890 |
14.35 |
5.15 |
$ 22.72 |
$ 47,260 |
| Carson City, NV |
410 |
13.69 |
4.91 |
$ 26.57 |
$ 55,260 |
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 |
910 |
0.86 |
0.31 |
$ 46.43 |
$ 96,580 |
| Salinas, CA |
1,510 |
8.95 |
3.21 |
$ 42.84 |
$ 89,100 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
1,360 |
10.52 |
3.77 |
$ 41.47 |
$ 86,260 |
| El Centro, CA |
1,340 |
22.87 |
8.21 |
$ 41.40 |
$ 86,110 |
| Bakersfield, CA |
3,500 |
11.28 |
4.05 |
$ 41.10 |
$ 85,490 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,630 |
0.73 |
0.26 |
$ 40.98 |
$ 85,230 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA |
1,720 |
6.72 |
2.41 |
$ 40.39 |
$ 84,000 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
110 |
1.13 |
0.41 |
$ 39.91 |
$ 83,000 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,040 |
2.19 |
0.79 |
$ 38.73 |
$ 80,560 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
1,810 |
1.84 |
0.66 |
$ 38.71 |
$ 80,510 |
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 |
5,220 |
27.43 |
9.84 |
$ 19.91 |
$ 41,400 |
| North Florida nonmetropolitan area |
4,130 |
34.89 |
12.52 |
$ 17.66 |
$ 36,720 |
| Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area |
3,500 |
25.91 |
9.30 |
$ 30.98 |
$ 64,440 |
| Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area |
3,140 |
17.43 |
6.26 |
$ 28.72 |
$ 59,740 |
| North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
2,960 |
11.12 |
3.99 |
$ 19.42 |
$ 40,380 |
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 |
4,130 |
34.89 |
12.52 |
$ 17.66 |
$ 36,720 |
| Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area |
5,220 |
27.43 |
9.84 |
$ 19.91 |
$ 41,400 |
| Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area |
3,500 |
25.91 |
9.30 |
$ 30.98 |
$ 64,440 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area |
1,200 |
20.94 |
7.52 |
$ 41.14 |
$ 85,580 |
| Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area |
2,040 |
20.63 |
7.40 |
$ 26.27 |
$ 54,630 |
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Correctional Officers and Jailers:
About May 2021 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.
(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
