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Correction Officers are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as correction officers in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since correction officers are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where correction officers have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for correction officers.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s correction officers:
So there you have it — Correctional Officers And Jailers is the best of the best when it comes to being a correction officer.
How did Correctional Officers And Jailers end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for correction officers and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- Best Companies to Work For in Chicago, IL
- These Are The 20 Best Small Companies In Chicago To Work For
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Chicago
How we determined the best states to be a correction officer
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for correction officers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well correction officers get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for correction officers in California is $75,400 and the average salary in Illinois is $62,440, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for correction officers in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for correction officers.
1. Illinois
Total Jobs: 14,050
Average Annual Salary: $62,440
Average Entry Level Salary: $43,890
Average Experienced Salary: $79,200
Location Quotient: 0.82
2. Pennsylvania
Total Jobs: 16,850
Average Annual Salary: $54,140
Average Entry Level Salary: $38,480
Average Experienced Salary: $74,120
Location Quotient: 1.01
3. Nevada
Total Jobs: 2,680
Average Annual Salary: $62,140
Average Entry Level Salary: $42,870
Average Experienced Salary: $93,790
Location Quotient: 0.69
4. New Jersey
Total Jobs: 11,240
Average Annual Salary: $70,280
Average Entry Level Salary: $40,850
Average Experienced Salary: $99,480
Location Quotient: 0.97
5. Michigan
Total Jobs: 9,100
Average Annual Salary: $51,890
Average Entry Level Salary: $37,890
Average Experienced Salary: $60,510
Location Quotient: 0.74
6. Washington
Total Jobs: 7,190
Average Annual Salary: $57,740
Average Entry Level Salary: $43,130
Average Experienced Salary: $76,350
Location Quotient: 0.77
7. Colorado
Total Jobs: 6,990
Average Annual Salary: $50,620
Average Entry Level Salary: $41,180
Average Experienced Salary: $68,100
Location Quotient: 0.93
8. New York
Total Jobs: 35,460
Average Annual Salary: $64,490
Average Entry Level Salary: $43,660
Average Experienced Salary: $90,300
Location Quotient: 1.32
9. Rhode Island
Total Jobs: 1,070
Average Annual Salary: $68,710
Average Entry Level Salary: $60,160
Average Experienced Salary: $72,940
Location Quotient: 0.77
10. Alaska
Total Jobs: 1,120
Average Annual Salary: $64,670
Average Entry Level Salary: $47,580
Average Experienced Salary: $80,660
Location Quotient: 1.24
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Correction Officer
If you’re looking to start out your career as a correction officer these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a correction officer in America:
For more reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best States For correction officers
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $62,440 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $54,140 |
| 3 | Nevada | $62,140 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $70,280 |
| 5 | Michigan | $51,890 |
| 6 | Washington | $57,740 |
| 7 | Colorado | $50,620 |
| 8 | New York | $64,490 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $68,710 |
| 10 | Alaska | $64,670 |
| 11 | California | $75,400 |
| 12 | Iowa | $50,750 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $42,290 |
| 14 | Florida | $43,410 |
| 15 | Arizona | $44,150 |
| 16 | Oregon | $58,450 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $51,660 |
| 18 | Ohio | $45,190 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $67,920 |
| 20 | Utah | $46,150 |
| 21 | Virginia | $41,860 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $44,230 |
| 23 | Idaho | $39,710 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $40,310 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $38,500 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $36,960 |
| 27 | Indiana | $36,960 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $35,940 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $44,700 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $34,120 |
| 31 | Kansas | $36,550 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $35,470 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $36,250 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $54,420 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $30,840 |
| 36 | Maryland | $49,220 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $34,370 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $37,560 |
| 39 | Alabama | $36,760 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $39,310 |
| 41 | Montana | $40,570 |
| 42 | Georgia | $34,290 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | $47,860 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $33,060 |
| 45 | Missouri | $31,650 |
| 46 | Vermont | $45,810 |
| 47 | Maine | $40,440 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $59,020 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
