Bailiffs
Median $56,600
Occupation · SOC 33-3012
Correctional Officers and Jailers: pay and where the jobs are
What correctional officers and jailers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$58,940 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $63,630
- Median hourly wage
- $28.34
- Mean hourly wage
- $30.59
- Employment
- 380,500
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-3012.
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How much do correctional officers and jailers make?
The median annual wage for correctional officers and jailers was $58,940 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $42,760 and the highest-paid 10% more than $93,220. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.34. About 380,500 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($96,370), New Jersey ($94,770) and Massachusetts ($86,310). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in New Jersey.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for correctional officers and jailers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,760 | $20.56 | $3,563 | $3,045 |
| 25th percentile | $48,640 | $23.38 | $4,053 | $3,439 |
| Median | $58,940 | $28.34 | $4,912 | $4,128 |
| 75th percentile | $75,850 | $36.47 | $6,321 | $5,183 |
| 90th percentile | $93,220 | $44.82 | $7,768 | $6,201 |
Correctional Officers and Jailers: pay by state
50 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$65,314 take-home in national prices
2
$63,815 take-home in national prices
3
$62,654 take-home in national prices
Where a median correctional officers and jailer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 37,860 | $96,370 | $63,380 | $114,730 | $70,656 | $63,815 |
| New Jersey | 7,570 | $94,770 | $51,410 | $106,570 | $71,065 | $65,314 |
| Massachusetts | 6,360 | $86,310 | $63,520 | $101,620 | $65,057 | $61,515 |
| Oregon | 3,650 | $83,690 | $64,200 | $95,820 | $61,483 | $59,484 |
| Washington | 6,800 | $79,460 | $64,460 | $95,430 | $63,628 | $59,458 |
| Illinois | 12,190 | $79,190 | $50,520 | $102,770 | $60,765 | $60,791 |
| New York | 27,770 | $76,820 | $58,940 | $93,220 | $58,959 | $54,631 |
| Nevada | 3,240 | $76,490 | $62,150 | $102,610 | $62,641 | $62,654 |
| Wisconsin | 7,360 | $73,470 | $56,540 | $92,140 | $57,663 | $61,282 |
| Alaska | 850 | $71,360 | $60,340 | $94,930 | $58,761 | $57,407 |
| Hawaii | 1,310 | $69,570 | $64,250 | $82,240 | $53,941 | $49,059 |
| Utah | 2,050 | $67,290 | $47,700 | $84,680 | $53,502 | $54,117 |
| Minnesota | 5,350 | $66,040 | $54,060 | $82,380 | $51,985 | $52,712 |
| Delaware | 1,730 | $65,880 | $46,520 | $79,260 | $51,844 | $51,944 |
| Connecticut | 3,780 | $64,750 | $55,520 | $70,710 | $51,072 | $49,292 |
| Maryland | 6,060 | $64,250 | $53,100 | $82,280 | $51,119 | $48,704 |
| Michigan | 8,220 | $64,020 | $47,360 | $77,990 | $51,150 | $53,161 |
| Pennsylvania | 15,560 | $63,460 | $46,840 | $85,630 | $51,177 | $52,451 |
| Nebraska | 3,250 | $63,380 | $47,630 | $78,270 | $51,102 | $56,715 |
| Colorado | 7,290 | $62,140 | $52,370 | $87,690 | $49,810 | $48,335 |
| New Hampshire | 680 | $61,360 | $47,480 | $82,240 | $51,483 | $49,424 |
| Ohio | 12,610 | $59,370 | $46,930 | $68,060 | $48,695 | $52,487 |
| Kansas | 3,380 | $56,120 | $37,000 | $64,940 | $44,941 | $49,896 |
| Arizona | 14,230 | $54,970 | $45,620 | $65,030 | $45,368 | $45,063 |
| Wyoming | 920 | $54,780 | $50,340 | $71,010 | $46,196 | $49,838 |
| Vermont | 450 | $53,810 | $46,010 | $71,660 | $44,048 | $44,966 |
| Idaho | 2,370 | $53,580 | $45,430 | $74,720 | $43,500 | $45,553 |
| Iowa | 3,440 | $53,040 | $47,670 | $73,530 | $43,434 | $49,491 |
| South Dakota | 1,490 | $53,040 | $43,240 | $66,390 | $44,798 | $50,570 |
| West Virginia | 2,980 | $52,890 | $45,390 | $75,610 | $43,111 | $48,170 |
| Maine | 1,090 | $52,730 | $44,640 | $60,510 | $42,403 | $43,692 |
| Texas | 44,700 | $52,670 | $44,870 | $60,550 | $44,500 | $45,850 |
| North Dakota | 1,290 | $52,460 | $47,580 | $62,870 | $44,332 | $49,834 |
| Tennessee | 6,990 | $50,940 | $38,690 | $62,790 | $43,110 | $46,925 |
| North Carolina | 11,900 | $50,550 | $38,850 | $63,150 | $41,289 | $43,772 |
| Virginia | 11,270 | $50,140 | $46,320 | $70,570 | $40,399 | $39,957 |
| Florida | 24,280 | $49,710 | $45,760 | $80,500 | $42,122 | $40,731 |
| Montana | 1,430 | $49,180 | $44,690 | $62,730 | $40,141 | $42,413 |
| Indiana | 8,060 | $48,340 | $41,670 | $61,840 | $39,625 | $42,457 |
| New Mexico | 2,740 | $47,940 | $37,900 | $59,330 | $39,606 | $42,951 |
| South Carolina | 4,870 | $47,890 | $40,090 | $71,390 | $39,800 | $42,454 |
| Georgia | 10,640 | $47,520 | $36,820 | $58,430 | $38,740 | $40,231 |
| Alabama | 4,970 | $46,660 | $30,430 | $74,290 | $37,749 | $42,499 |
| Oklahoma | 3,730 | $45,690 | $34,530 | $58,380 | $37,381 | $42,555 |
| Missouri | 6,670 | $42,620 | $37,210 | $63,940 | $35,359 | $38,935 |
| Kentucky | 6,770 | $42,310 | $29,910 | $61,820 | $34,813 | $38,613 |
| Arkansas | 4,460 | $40,330 | $31,200 | $49,360 | $33,581 | $38,626 |
| Louisiana | 7,960 | $39,850 | $30,770 | $55,260 | $33,390 | $37,854 |
| Mississippi | 4,040 | $38,720 | $27,540 | $55,580 | $32,475 | $37,347 |
| Puerto Rico | 3,740 | $36,030 | $30,080 | $42,540 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 33-3012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.