Protective Service
Correctional Officers
SOC 33-3012
Supervise people in jails and prisons and keep order safely.
The job
Median pay
$59k
$49k to $76k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Declining
-7.4% projected
Openings a year
28k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
8/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
37th pct
More exposed than 37% of occupations · modeled estimate · 36th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
42/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 44,700 | 3.2 | 1.3× | $53k |
| California | 37,860 | 2.1 | 0.8× | $96k |
| New York | 27,770 | 2.9 | 1.2× | $77k |
| Florida | 24,280 | 2.4 | 1.0× | $50k |
| Pennsylvania | 15,560 | 2.6 | 1.1× | $63k |
| Arizona | 14,230 | 4.4 | 1.8× | $55k |
| Ohio | 12,610 | 2.3 | 0.9× | $59k |
| Illinois | 12,190 | 2.0 | 0.8× | $79k |
| North Carolina | 11,900 | 2.4 | 1.0× | $51k |
| Virginia | 11,270 | 2.7 | 1.1× | $50k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 10,640 | 2.2 | 0.9× | $48k |
| Michigan | 8,220 | 1.9 | 0.8× | $64k |
| Indiana | 8,060 | 2.5 | 1.0× | $48k |
| Louisiana | 7,960 | 4.1 | 1.7× | $40k |
| New Jersey | 7,570 | 1.8 | 0.7× | $95k |
| Wisconsin | 7,360 | 2.5 | 1.0× | $73k |
| Colorado | 7,290 | 2.5 | 1.0× | $62k |
| Tennessee | 6,990 | 2.1 | 0.9× | $51k |
| Washington | 6,800 | 1.9 | 0.8× | $79k |
| Kentucky | 6,770 | 3.4 | 1.4× | $42k |
| Missouri | 6,670 | 2.3 | 0.9× | $43k |
| Massachusetts | 6,360 | 1.7 | 0.7× | $86k |
| Maryland | 6,060 | 2.2 | 0.9× | $64k |
| Minnesota | 5,350 | 1.8 | 0.7× | $66k |
| Alabama | 4,970 | 2.4 | 1.0× | $47k |
| South Carolina | 4,870 | 2.1 | 0.9× | $48k |
| Arkansas | 4,460 | 3.4 | 1.4× | $40k |
| Mississippi | 4,040 | 3.5 | 1.4× | $39k |
| Connecticut | 3,780 | 2.2 | 0.9× | $65k |
| Oklahoma | 3,730 | 2.2 | 0.9× | $46k |
| Oregon | 3,650 | 1.9 | 0.8× | $84k |
| Iowa | 3,440 | 2.2 | 0.9× | $53k |
| Kansas | 3,380 | 2.4 | 1.0× | $56k |
| Nebraska | 3,250 | 3.2 | 1.3× | $63k |
| Nevada | 3,240 | 2.1 | 0.8× | $76k |
| Washington DC | 2,989 | 4.3 | 1.7× | $87k~ |
| West Virginia | 2,980 | 4.2 | 1.7× | $53k |
| New Mexico | 2,740 | 3.1 | 1.3× | $48k |
| Idaho | 2,370 | 2.8 | 1.1× | $54k |
| Utah | 2,050 | 1.2 | 0.5× | $67k |
| Delaware | 1,730 | 3.6 | 1.5× | $66k |
| South Dakota | 1,490 | 3.3 | 1.3× | $53k |
| Montana | 1,430 | 2.8 | 1.1× | $49k |
| Hawaii | 1,310 | 2.1 | 0.8× | $70k |
| Rhode Island | 1,310 | 2.6 | 1.1× | $70k~ |
| North Dakota | 1,290 | 3.0 | 1.2× | $52k |
| Maine | 1,090 | 1.7 | 0.7× | $53k |
| Wyoming | 920 | 3.3 | 1.3× | $55k |
| Alaska | 850 | 2.6 | 1.1× | $71k |
| New Hampshire | 680 | 1.0 | 0.4× | $61k |
| Vermont | 450 | 1.5 | 0.6× | $54k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ14,730 jobs · $93k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ8,920 jobs · $57k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX8,650 jobs · $54k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA6,070 jobs · $79k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD5,570 jobs · $67k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX5,170 jobs · $59k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL5,010 jobs · $67k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN4,940 jobs · $85k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Correctional Officers interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.