SOC 21-1092.00

    Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

    Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole.

    Median pay
    $66,270
    Growth
    +3.0%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    7,900
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $46,840
    Median
    $66,270
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $107,790
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    89,390 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists help rehabilitate law offenders in custody, on probation, or on parole. The median annual pay for this career is $66,270, with opportunities available in community and social service systems.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What probation officers and correctional treatment specialists do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender, including conditional release and education and employment stipulations.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    Professionals in this field focus on social service work to guide offenders through rehabilitation plans. Their daily tasks involve getting information, documenting records, and evaluating compliance with legal and behavioral standards. They communicate regularly with supervisors and peers, organize their caseloads, and solve complex problems. To succeed, these specialists rely on active listening, social perceptiveness, and strong speaking and reading comprehension skills.

    This role requires deep knowledge of law, government, public safety, and security. Because they work closely with individuals recovering from criminal behavior, they must understand psychology, therapy, counseling, and sociology. Important work styles for this career include integrity, dependability, self-control, and stress tolerance. Workers must show empathy and adaptability while maintaining strict attention to detail and perseverance as they help offenders navigate education, employment, and conditional release stipulations.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires considerable preparation, starting with a bachelor's degree. Social work is a common college major that prepares students for this path. In addition to a degree, most individuals need several years of related work experience to qualify for these positions.

    Depending on where you plan to work, you may need to meet specific state guidelines. Some states list a license for this work, so candidates should check local regulations. Building a background in counseling, criminal justice, or social services can help prospective officers gain the practical experience and knowledge required by employers in this field.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists was $66,270. The lowest 10% of earners made less than $46,840, while the highest 10% earned more than $107,790.

    There were 89,390 people employed in this occupation. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 3%, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in 7,900 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    23 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    41 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    19 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    76 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    49 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    53 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SCE. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    94
    Documenting/Recording Information
    86
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    86
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    84
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    83
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    83
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    81
    Working with Computers
    80
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    77
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    74
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Monitoring
    • Writing
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Active Learning

    Knowledge

    • Law and Government
    • Public Safety and Security
    • English Language
    • Psychology
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Administrative
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Education and Training
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Written Expression
    • Near Vision

    Work styles

    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Self-Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Social Orientation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Empathy
    • Adaptability
    • Perseverance
    • Sincerity

    Also called

    Adult Probation and Parole Officer · Adult Probation Officer · Attendance Officer · Community Corrections Specialist · Community Supervision Officer · Correctional Case Manager · Correctional Casework Specialist · Correctional Counselor · Correctional Officer · Correctional Probation Officer

    Career pathway

    From your interests to probation officers and correctional treatment specialists

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$66,270 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Providence College logo
      Providence College

      Providence, RI · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $70,356
      Median debt
      Not reported
    2. 2
      CUNY Hunter College

      New York, NY · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $46,845
      4 yrs after
      $70,273
      Median debt
      $11,000
    3. 3California State University-San Bernardino logo
      California State University-San Bernardino

      San Bernardino, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $59,991
      4 yrs after
      $69,201
      Median debt
      $11,000
    4. 4
      San Francisco State University

      San Francisco, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $44,889
      4 yrs after
      $68,524
      Median debt
      $21,763
    5. 5
      California State University-Long Beach

      Long Beach, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $45,614
      4 yrs after
      $68,448
      Median debt
      $11,000
    6. 6Pacific Lutheran University logo
      Pacific Lutheran University

      Tacoma, WA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $67,458
      Median debt
      $18,862
    7. 7University of California-Berkeley CAL logo
      University of California-Berkeley CAL

      Berkeley, CA · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $51,615
      4 yrs after
      $67,393
      Median debt
      $8,893
    8. 8Iona College logo
      Iona College

      New Rochelle, NY · Social Work · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $66,417
      Median debt
      Not reported

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What probation officers and correctional treatment specialists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Social Work

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    10 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about probation officers and correctional treatment specialists

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this field are also called adult probation officers, community supervision officers, correctional case managers, or correctional counselors. Other titles include attendance officers and correctional probation officers.

    What are the primary educational requirements?

    To enter this career, you typically need a bachelor's degree. Social work is a primary college major that leads to this occupation, and most positions also require several years of related experience.

    How fast is this occupation growing?

    Employment in this field is projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all jobs. This growth is expected to generate about 7,900 openings each year.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    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.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.