# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/correctional-officers-and-jailers
- SOC code: 33-3012.00
- Career family: Protective service
- Median annual pay: $58,940 (10th percentile $42,760, 90th percentile $93,220)
- Projected growth: Decline, -7.4%
- Openings a year: 28,400
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 72 |
| Investigative (I) | 12 |
| Artistic (A) | 1 |
| Social (S) | 48 |
| Enterprising (E) | 36 |
| Conventional (C) | 63 |

## What you'd do

- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 84/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 80/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 80/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 78/100)
- Getting Information (importance 76/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 74/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 72/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 72/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 72/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 71/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Coordination, Persuasion, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving

## Knowledge

Public Safety and Security, English Language, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Computers and Electronics, Psychology, Administrative, Education and Training, Telecommunications

## Also called

Booking Officer, Certified Detention Deputy, Civilian Jail Officer, Community Corrections Officer (CCO), Community Services Officer (CSO), Confinement Officer, Convict Guard, Correction Officer, Correctional Guard, Correctional Monitor

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Criminal Justice and Corrections](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4301) (CIP 4301, 1,742 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Calumet College of Saint Joseph](https://www.collegesref.com/college/calumet-college-of-saint-joseph-380) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $54,078 | $106,465 | $20,417 |
| [National University-California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/national-university-california-1825) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $66,056 | $81,299 | $25,000 |
| [Fisher College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/fisher-college-957) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $48,983 | $80,136 | $26,875 |
| [George Washington University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-washington-university-1066) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $54,080 | $80,070 | $19,500 |
| [Saint Mary's University of Minnesota](https://www.collegesref.com/college/saint-mary-s-university-of-minnesota-2317) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $62,842 | $79,464 | not reported |
| [Quinnipiac University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/quinnipiac-university-2168) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $42,494 | $79,098 | $23,375 |
| [Northeastern University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/northeastern-university-1923) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $41,941 | $77,477 | $17,750 |
| [Anna Maria College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/anna-maria-college-82) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $50,753 | $76,013 | $26,500 |

## Related careers

- [First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-correctional-officers): $77,970 median pay
- [Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/probation-officers-and-correctional-treatment-specialists): $66,270 median pay
- [Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/police-and-sheriffs-patrol-officers): $76,210 median pay
- [Bailiffs](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bailiffs): $56,600 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-police-and-detectives): $106,040 median pay
- [Detectives and Criminal Investigators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/detectives-and-criminal-investigators): $93,790 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.