Adult parole officer vs probation counselor

The differences between adult parole officers and probation counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an adult parole officer and a probation counselor. Additionally, a probation counselor has an average salary of $49,192, which is higher than the $47,646 average annual salary of an adult parole officer.

The top three skills for an adult parole officer include criminal justice, conduct investigations and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a probation counselor are mental health, intake interviews, and substance abuse issues.

Adult parole officer vs probation counselor overview

	Adult Parole Officer	Probation Counselor
Yearly salary	$47,646	$49,192
Hourly rate	$22.91	$23.65
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	56,898	29,518
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Adult parole officer vs probation counselor salary

Adult parole officers and probation counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Adult Parole Officer	Probation Counselor
Average salary	$47,646	$49,192
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $71,000	Between $35,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between adult parole officer and probation counselor education

There are a few differences between an adult parole officer and a probation counselor in terms of educational background:

	Adult Parole Officer	Probation Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Boston University	California State University - Long Beach

Adult parole officer vs probation counselor demographics

Here are the differences between adult parole officers' and probation counselors' demographics:

	Adult Parole Officer	Probation Counselor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8%	Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 1.7% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 14.1% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.2% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between adult parole officer and probation counselor duties and responsibilities

Adult parole officer example responsibilities.

Enforce parole conditions to protect the community while providing supervision and guidance to parolees to facilitate their successful reintegration into society.
Complete background and presentence reports to the courts by accessing NCIC and court records.

Probation counselor example responsibilities.

Manage significant DUI caseload to court-ordered and conditional probation completion.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Review referral history and other JJIS data for accuracy and conduct data collection for statistical purposes within establish rules.

Adult parole officer vs probation counselor skills

Common adult parole officer skills

Criminal Justice, 49%
Conduct Investigations, 30%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 20%

Common probation counselor skills

Mental Health, 15%
Intake Interviews, 7%
Substance Abuse Issues, 7%
Court Orders, 6%
Residential Facility, 6%
Community Services, 5%

Adult Parole Officer vs. similar jobs

Adult Parole Officer related careers

Adult Parole Officer related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Adult Parole Officer
Adult Parole Officer vs Probation Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs