Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of correction officer salary by state for the United States:
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Hawaii has the highest correction officer salary of $59,246
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Arkansas has the lowest correction officer salary of $27,584
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The national average salary for correction officers is $39,369
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The national hourly pay for correction officers is $18.93
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do correction officers get paid where I live?
And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for correction officer by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.
The state with the best salary for correction officers after this adjustment? That would be Hawaii.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for correction officer salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Correction Officers By State
| Rank | State | Average Correction Officer Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $59,246 | $50,000 | $69,000 |
| 2 | New York | $52,522 | $36,000 | $76,000 |
| 3 | Washington | $51,191 | $36,000 | $72,000 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $50,721 | $35,000 | $73,000 |
| 5 | California | $50,335 | $33,000 | $74,000 |
| 6 | Nevada | $49,301 | $33,000 | $72,000 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $48,350 | $33,000 | $70,000 |
| 8 | Oregon | $48,252 | $33,000 | $69,000 |
| 9 | Illinois | $48,164 | $35,000 | $66,000 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $47,867 | $34,000 | $66,000 |
| 11 | Colorado | $46,222 | $33,000 | $63,000 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $44,907 | $31,000 | $63,000 |
| 13 | Maryland | $44,438 | $30,000 | $64,000 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $44,329 | $30,000 | $64,000 |
| 15 | Alaska | $43,886 | $34,000 | $56,000 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $43,804 | $31,000 | $60,000 |
| 17 | Vermont | $43,576 | $31,000 | $59,000 |
| 18 | Michigan | $41,194 | $29,000 | $58,000 |
| 19 | Delaware | $40,822 | $27,000 | $59,000 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $40,613 | $28,000 | $58,000 |
| 21 | Ohio | $40,569 | $28,000 | $57,000 |
| 22 | Iowa | $40,246 | $29,000 | $54,000 |
| 23 | Maine | $38,946 | $28,000 | $52,000 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $38,818 | $27,000 | $53,000 |
| 25 | Utah | $37,730 | $26,000 | $53,000 |
| 26 | Alabama | $37,269 | $27,000 | $50,000 |
| 27 | Arizona | $36,624 | $24,000 | $53,000 |
| 28 | Kansas | $36,517 | $26,000 | $50,000 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $36,440 | $25,000 | $51,000 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $36,413 | $26,000 | $49,000 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $36,166 | $25,000 | $51,000 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $35,731 | $25,000 | $49,000 |
| 33 | Virginia | $35,422 | $24,000 | $50,000 |
| 34 | Idaho | $35,119 | $24,000 | $49,000 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $34,273 | $24,000 | $47,000 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $34,120 | $24,000 | $46,000 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $33,858 | $24,000 | $46,000 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $33,516 | $24,000 | $45,000 |
| 39 | Texas | $33,252 | $23,000 | $46,000 |
| 40 | Indiana | $32,637 | $23,000 | $44,000 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $31,406 | $23,000 | $42,000 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $31,387 | $23,000 | $42,000 |
| 43 | Florida | $31,273 | $22,000 | $42,000 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $30,205 | $22,000 | $40,000 |
| 45 | Montana | $29,322 | $21,000 | $39,000 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $29,079 | $21,000 | $39,000 |
| 47 | Georgia | $28,977 | $21,000 | $38,000 |
| 48 | Missouri | $28,949 | $21,000 | $39,000 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $28,841 | $21,000 | $39,000 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $27,584 | $20,000 | $37,000 |
Methodology: Correction Officer Salary By State
To better understand correction officer pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for correction officers by state.
We took the average annual salary data for correction officers from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for correction officers.
Correction Officer Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for correction officers?
The highest-paid state for correction officers is Hawaii with an average salary of $59,246 per year.
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What city pays correction officers the most?
Urban Honolulu, HI pays correction officers the most with an average salary of $59,248 per year.
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What is the worst state for correction officers?
The worst state for correction officers is Arkansas with an average salary of $27,584 per year.
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.
