What is a Community Services Officer?

Community service officers or CSOs are civilian employees who provide support to civilians and help to prevent crime. Your job requires you to assist police efforts, especially in cases that do not require the presence of a police officer, such as traffic direction. Also, you are to aid in locating and arresting suspected persons and escorting them to and from stations or interview rooms. As a community service officer, you will be tasked with receiving and responding to requests and emergencies, investigating crime scenes, and providing safety and security at schools and special events. You are also to fill out reports of crimes and endorse law and order.

To get a job as a community service officer, you must be knowledgeable in organizational and negotiation practices. More so, you need to possess excellent communication skills and must be able to work independently. You also need just a high school diploma to get this job, but a bachelor's degree is preferred. The average annual salary is $42,765 or $21 per hour.

What Does a Community Services Officer Do

There are certain skills that many community services officers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, empathy and good judgment.

Learn more about what a Community Services Officer does

How To Become a Community Services Officer

If you're interested in becoming a community services officer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 56.6% of community services officers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.7% of community services officers have master's degrees. Even though most community services officers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Community Services Officer
Top Community Services Officer Jobs Near You

Community Services Officer Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a community services officer can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as police officer, progress to a title such as officer and then eventually end up with the title communications manager.

Community Services Officer

Top Careers Before Community Services Officer

Security Officer(125,879 Jobs)
13.4 %
Internship(51,064 Jobs)
13.1 %
Cashier(456,110 Jobs)
10.4 %

Top Careers After Community Services Officer

Security Officer(125,879 Jobs)
17.1 %
Police Officer(116,287 Jobs)
16.0 %
Internship(51,064 Jobs)
8.4 %

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Average Salary for a Community Services Officer

Community Services Officers in America make an average salary of $38,039 per year or $18 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $53,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $27,000 per year.
Average Community Services Officer Salary
$38,039 Yearly
$18.29 hourly
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Roles and Types of Community Services Officer

The role of a community services officer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general community services officer responsibilities:

  • Patrols an assigned area. Performs prescribed security checks of buildings, offices,
  • Operating two way radio; 911 telephone communications system, leads personal computer
  • Responding to incoming police service requests via calls

There are several types of community services officer, including:

Security Officer

Role:

As a security officer, it is your duty to partrol and protect. Most security officers are given a certain property to protect from illegal activity. These properties can vary from public buildings to retail stores and office buildings.

However, you could get a job as a security officer in a casino, and we all know how cool these security officers are just based on movies. No matter how cool and important this role is, it's important to note that it can be taxing. Since a lot of these properties are open 24 hours a day, many security officers work long hours, if not around the clock. One thing is for sure. If you become a security officer, you'll probably become addicted to caffeine.
  • Average Salary: $31,101
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Security Guard

Role:

Security guards help protect some valuable stuff, which varies depending on where they're working. Maybe you'll work for a jewelry store so you'll learn to protect precious gems or maybe you'll work for an apartment complex where you'll be protecting the residents.

Really, there isn't a limit for who or what business needs a security guard. You can find work just about anywhere. A lot of businesses struggle with theft, some even have violent situations arise frequently. Other companies deal with people not following the rules and like to have a security guard to help. So you see, you're needed everywhere.

Sometimes a venue or event will be so big, they'll have x-ray and metal detector equipment setup. In these situations, you'll have to operate and examine those machines as people walk through. Or maybe you'll end up as an individual person's security guard. Whatever you end up guarding, just make sure you're ready for whatever is thrown at you.
  • Average Salary: $31,983
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Correction Officer

Role:

While you might think that as a correction officer, a main part of your job is to correct people, it's not necessarily true. I mean you don't want the grammar police guarding the jails, do you? Instead, correction officers are there to keep an eye over those who have either been arrested and are waiting for their trial, or have already been sentenced a time to serve in jail or prison.

I'm going to give it to you straight. This position is one of the most dangerous jobs, as it has one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses out of all occupations. Sometimes you may have to deal with a confrontational inmate. Or two. On top of that, you'll probably have to work crazy hours because there "ain't no rest for the wicked."
  • Average Salary: $39,369
  • Degree: High School Diploma
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States With The Most Community Services Officer Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active community services officer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where community services officers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Community Services Officer Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California6,730$46,382
2Texas4,050$36,234
3Florida3,439$31,325
4New York3,168$57,100
5Illinois2,765$42,008
6Massachusetts2,383$47,744
7Virginia2,265$38,920
8Minnesota2,236$47,575
9Georgia2,201$31,440
10Pennsylvania2,120$42,186
11North Carolina1,947$32,586
12New Jersey1,924$55,582
13Ohio1,800$40,637
14Washington1,640$66,372
15Maryland1,579$41,338
16Michigan1,532$43,345
17Colorado1,528$46,515
18Arizona1,506$39,131
19Missouri1,351$36,127
20Indiana1,292$43,044
21Tennessee1,049$28,922
22Iowa973$46,376
23South Carolina855$30,479
24Alabama851$34,067
25Oregon833$59,121
26Connecticut790$56,939
27Wisconsin764$36,125
28Louisiana719$28,148
29Kentucky717$32,470
30Oklahoma581$33,056
31Kansas562$31,551
32Arkansas547$30,738
33Nevada539$41,447
34Utah535$42,655
35Idaho506$40,194
36Mississippi504$45,596
37Nebraska491$39,732
38New Mexico463$33,838
39New Hampshire356$49,481
40West Virginia321$43,543
41Maine312$41,832
42Rhode Island260$47,734
43Delaware260$41,482
44Hawaii232$45,946
45Montana225$44,036
46North Dakota205$59,802
47South Dakota183$37,416
48Alaska176$46,093
49Vermont157$46,033
50Wyoming95$45,441

Community Services Officer Education

Community Services Officer Majors

Criminal Justice
43.1 %
Business
8.9 %
Psychology
7.3 %

Community Services Officer Degrees

Bachelors

56.6 %

Associate

23.1 %

High School Diploma

10.7 %

Top Colleges for Community Services Officers

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Psychology
Kinesiology
Political Science

2. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$58,230

Enrollment

6,600

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Liberal Arts
Law
Psychology
Political Science

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Education
Psychology
Law Enforcement

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Liberal Arts
Psychology
Political Science
Law

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Liberal Arts
Communication
Education

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,587

Enrollment

1,834

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Education
Psychology
Liberal Arts
Business

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Law
Communication
Political Science
Law Enforcement
Criminal Justice

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Accounting
Psychology
Business
Political Science

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Psychology
Liberal Arts
Law Enforcement

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Psychology
Law Enforcement
Criminal Justice
Liberal Arts
Education

Top Skills For a Community Services Officer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 18.4% of community services officers listed patrol on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and empathy are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Community Services Officer Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Community Services Officer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Community Services Officer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Community Services Officer Resume
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Community Services Officer Demographics

Community Services Officer Gender Distribution

Male
Male
56%
Female
Female
44%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among community services officers, 43.9% of them are women, while 56.1% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among community services officers is White, which makes up 59.8% of all community services officers.

  • The most common foreign language among community services officers is Spanish at 62.8%.

Online Courses For Community Services Officer That You May Like

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1. Communicating During Global Emergencies

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In collaboration with the Rollins School of Public Health and the CDC's Division of Global Health Protection, Emergency Response, and Recovery Branch, this course introduces basic concepts and principles of communicating during a global crisis or emergency. It explores why communication during an emergency is different and the importance of adapting emergency messages to the needs of affected populations. Through sample scenarios, you will get the opportunity to identify information needs and...

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2. Disaster, Crisis, and Emergency Preparedness Communication

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This course will introduce you to basic concepts of emergency management, planning, and crisis risk communication. You will understand the definitions of and operational challenges associated with disasters and public health emergencies. You will identify important components of risk communication, and you will identify and evaluate the ways social characteristics shape vulnerabilities to crises and health outcomes. In completing this course, you will begin to learn about the nature of...

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3. Customer Service Fundamentals

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There are a growing number of exciting, well-paying jobs in today’s tech industry that do not require a traditional college degree, an one of the hottest areas with high demand is in IT customer service and support. Customer Service is a perfect entry point to start your career in IT, with a multitude of job openings ranging from onsite or remote help desk work to customer care or client support. We can help you get there with the Customer Service Fundamentals course. We will help you to build...

See More on Coursera
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Best States For a Community Services Officer

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a community services officer. The best states for people in this position are Washington, North Dakota, Oregon, and New York. Community services officers make the most in Washington with an average salary of $66,372. Whereas in North Dakota and Oregon, they would average $59,802 and $59,121, respectively. While community services officers would only make an average of $57,100 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. New York

Total Community Services Officer Jobs: 3,168
Highest 10% Earn:
$80,000
Location Quotient:
1.12

$57,100

Avg. Salary

View 3,168 Community Services Officer Jobs In NY

2. Connecticut

Total Community Services Officer Jobs: 790
Highest 10% Earn:
$79,000
Location Quotient:
1.08

$56,939

Avg. Salary

View 790 Community Services Officer Jobs In CT

3. Washington

Total Community Services Officer Jobs: 1,640
Highest 10% Earn:
$81,000
Location Quotient:
1.02

$66,372

Avg. Salary

View 1,640 Community Services Officer Jobs In WA
Full List Of Best States For Community Services Officers

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Top Community Services Officer Employers

Most Common Employers For Community Services Officer

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Gettysburg College$52,898$25.436
2University of Southern California$49,045$23.5819
3University of California$48,473$23.306
4Baltimore Metropolitan Council$47,865$23.015
5Ramsey County$46,533$22.374
6City of Tucson$44,255$21.286
7Rutgers University$44,002$21.1531
8University of North Texas$41,926$20.1610
9California Polytechnic State University$40,923$19.676
10MSP$40,904$19.677
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Community Services Officer Videos

Inside the SJPD Community Service Officer Program
A Career in Banking - Lending Services Officer ANZ (JTJS62011)
A Career as a Corrections Probation Officer and Community Work Supervisor (JTJS62011)

Community Services Officer Related Careers

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Updated February 6, 2023