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Correctional officer captain: pay, job outlook and how to become one

Updated October 28, 2026. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET data. Published by Humblebee.

$77,970median pay per year, or $37.49 an hour, May 2025[1]
  1. $52,330lowest 10% earn less
  2. $59,89025th percentile
  3. $77,970median
  4. $103,32075th percentile
  5. $127,780top 10% earn more
Middle half of workers in the inner band[3]Median for all US jobs, $50,980[4]

A correctional officer captain, officially a first-line supervisor of correctional officers, had a median pay of $77,970 a year[1]. Employment is projected to decline 2.5% over the ten years that end in 2035[2].

Job growth, 2025–35
-2.5%[2]
Openings per year
3,700[5]
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent[6]

How much do correctional officer captains make?

The median wage for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers was $77,970 a year, or $37.49 an hour, in May 2025[1]. The average was $84,380 a year, or $40.57 an hour[7]. For all occupations, the median annual wage was $50,980[4].

Pay spreads out quite a bit. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $52,330 a year, and the lowest-paid 25% earned less than $59,890[3]. The highest-paid 25% earned more than $103,320, and the top 10% earned more than $127,780[3]. In hourly terms, those boundaries were $25.16, $28.80, $49.68 and $61.43[8]. A percentile is a boundary, and BLS publishes percentile wages rather than a starting salary[9].

BLS counted about 53,380 wage and salary jobs in this group[10]. These figures leave out self-employed workers, bonuses and benefits such as health insurance[11].

Measure Annual wage Source
Median[1] $77,970
Mean[7] $84,380
All occupations, median[4] $50,980

Pay by state and city

California had the highest median wage at $131,210, followed by New Jersey at $117,450 and Utah at $110,410[12]. Missouri had the lowest of the 49 states with published data, at $46,840[12].

Florida had the most jobs at 6,480, then California at 4,550 and Texas at 4,200[13]. Among metro areas with at least 100 jobs, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA had the highest median at $135,040[14]. The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area had the most jobs at 1,990, with a median of $121,600[15].

Show median pay in 49 states
StateMedian per yearJobs
California[12]$131,2104,550
New Jersey$117,4501,340
Utah$110,410340
Nevada$107,260190
Massachusetts$105,930460
Illinois$105,4502,860
New York$103,3203,380
Oregon$99,890610
Washington$98,9101,400
Alaska$98,420300
Hawaii$97,20060
Minnesota$96,720750
Wisconsin$96,260800
Pennsylvania$94,6001,520
Connecticut$89,160490
New Hampshire$85,550150
Delaware$84,760240
Vermont$81,70060
Colorado$81,460810
Nebraska$80,490340
Alabama$80,230470
Idaho$79,330160
Maryland$79,1502,010
Michigan$78,1501,020
Ohio$77,570600
South Dakota$77,40080
South Carolina$77,110360
Arizona$74,840890
Montana$74,630240
Iowa$74,420310
Tennessee$74,140740
North Dakota$73,240180
Kansas$71,5901,080
Wyoming$70,770110
Maine$67,750140
North Carolina$67,2701,090
Virginia$64,1902,230
New Mexico$63,380530
Kentucky$62,780780
Texas$62,5904,200
Indiana$61,4601,360
Louisiana$58,9601,300
Georgia$58,6402,310
West Virginia$56,490230
Mississippi$56,470340
Oklahoma$56,100530
Florida$55,6206,480
Arkansas$49,5901,720
Missouri$46,8401,090

How to become a correctional officer captain

The facts describe a short path with one big requirement, which is related experience.

ONET places the job in Job Zone Three, where previous work-related skill, knowledge or experience is required[16]. In an ONET survey of 32 workers, 59% said a high school diploma or equivalent was required, 23% said an associate's degree, 11% said a bachelor's degree and 5% said a post-secondary certificate[17]. Those are survey shares from a small group.

Sample job titles from workers include Correctional Officer Captain and Correctional Supervisor[18].

What correctional officer captains do

These supervisors direct and coordinate the work of correctional officers and jailers[19]. Tasks listed by O*NET include:

Job outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 2.5% from 2025 to 2035, from about 56,300 to 54,800 jobs[2]. Employment across all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% over the same period[21]. These projection counts include self-employed workers, so they differ from the OEWS job count[2].

Jobs still open up. BLS projects about 3,700 openings a year on average[5]. Each year, 2.2% of workers leave the labor force and 4.8% move to a different occupation[22]. Openings count vacancies from workers who retire or change fields as well as new jobs[5].

Is it a good fit?

The pay is above the all-occupations median, and the entry education is a high school diploma[1][4][6]. The job asks for related experience, and O*NET describes it as needing medium preparation[6][16]. Employment is projected to shrink slightly, but openings are expected each year as people leave or change jobs[2][5]. Pay differs a lot by state, so the local figure matters more than the national median[12].

Related occupations from O*NET, with BLS median pay and projected growth[23].

Frequently asked questions

How much does a correctional officer captain make?
The median wage was $77,970 a year, or $37.49 an hour, in May 2025[1].
What education do you need to be a correctional officer captain?
BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry education, plus related work experience of less than 5 years[6].
Is the correctional officer captain job in demand?
Employment is projected to decline 2.5% from 2025 to 2035, while about 3,700 openings a year are projected[2][5].
What is the highest paying state for correctional officer captains?
California had the highest median wage at $131,210[12].

Facts and sources

  1. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median wage for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers in the US was $77,970 per year and $37.49 per hour. Half of workers earned more and half earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  2. BLS Employment Projections: employment of First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers is projected to decline 2.5% from 2025 to 2035, from about 56,300 to 54,800 jobs (a change of -1,400). These counts include self-employed workers. BLS Employment Projections
  3. BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual wage percentiles for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers: 10th percentile $52,330, 25th percentile $59,890, 75th percentile $103,320, 90th percentile $127,780. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  4. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median annual wage for all occupations in the US was $50,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  5. BLS Employment Projections: about 3,700 openings for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035. Openings include jobs that open when workers retire or move to other occupations, not only new jobs. BLS Employment Projections
  6. BLS Employment Projections, typical path into First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers: education needed for entry: High school diploma or equivalent; work experience in a related occupation: Less than 5 years; typical on-the-job training: None. BLS Employment Projections
  7. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the mean (average) wage for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers was $84,380 per year and $40.57 per hour. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  8. BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wage percentiles for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers: 10th percentile $25.16, 25th percentile $28.80, 75th percentile $49.68, 90th percentile $61.43. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  9. BLS OEWS FAQ: a percentile wage is a boundary. The median (50th percentile) separates the highest-paid 50% from the lowest-paid 50% of workers in the occupation. OEWS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  10. BLS OEWS, May 2025: about 53,380 people were employed as First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers in the US (wage and salary jobs, not counting self-employed workers). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  11. BLS OEWS FAQ: OEWS covers part-time and full-time workers paid a wage or salary. It does not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers or unpaid family workers. OEWS wages do not include nonproduction bonuses or employer costs of benefits such as health insurance or retirement contributions. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  12. Median annual wage for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers in every state with published data, May 2025 (table on this page). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  13. BLS OEWS, May 2025, states with the most First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers jobs: Florida 6,480; California 4,550; Texas 4,200; New York 3,380; Illinois 2,860. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  14. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the highest median annual wage for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers (areas with at least 100 jobs): Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $135,040; San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $132,490; Fresno, CA $131,790; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $131,780; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $131,630; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $127,390; New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $121,600; Vineland, NJ $117,450. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  15. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the most First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers jobs: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 1,990 (median $121,600); Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 1,190 (median $79,150); Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 750 (median $66,860); Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 730 (median $98,300); Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 680 (median $61,580); Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN 680 (median $105,450). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  16. O*NET 33-1011.00: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed. Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job. O*NET OnLine
  17. O*NET 33-1011.00 survey of workers (32 respondents), education level they say is required: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) 59%, Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree 23%, Bachelor's Degree 11%, Post-Secondary Certificate 5% (levels under 5% not listed). O*NET OnLine
  18. O*NET 33-1011.00 sample job titles reported by workers: Correctional Officer Captain, Correctional Supervisor. O*NET OnLine
  19. O*NET description of First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers. O*NET OnLine
  20. O*NET task list for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers. O*NET OnLine
  21. BLS Employment Projections: employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035. BLS Employment Projections
  22. BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 annual average for First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers: 2.2% of workers leave the labor force each year and 4.8% move to a different occupation. BLS Employment Projections
  23. Related occupations (O*NET) with BLS pay, growth and entry education. O*NET OnLine

Notes are for reading the data only. They are not facts and cannot be cited: use the wage_scope and percentile_meaning facts instead. OEWS employment (jobs in May 2025) and Employment Projections employment (2025, includes self-employed) are different measures and can differ. O*NET education shares come from a small survey of workers in the occupation, not from all workers.

This page includes information from the 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerFacts has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.