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Best states for a Correction Officer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and protective service careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to correction officer jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for correction officers.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for correction officer jobs.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for correction officers.Nevada is the best state, and Waipahu is the city with the highest pay for correction officers.
10 best states for correction officers in 2025
1. Nevada
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 348 Average Annual Salary: $49,301 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 1.222. Hawaii
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 130 Average Annual Salary: $59,246 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $50,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $69,000 Location Quotient: 1.133. Washington
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 1,079 Average Annual Salary: $51,191 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $36,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 1.084. New York
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 1,799 Average Annual Salary: $52,522 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $36,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.025. Connecticut
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 440 Average Annual Salary: $50,721 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $35,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 0.976. Pennsylvania
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 1,745 Average Annual Salary: $44,329 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $30,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 1.17. Oregon
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 588 Average Annual Salary: $48,252 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $69,000 Location Quotient: 1.048. Colorado
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 943 Average Annual Salary: $46,222 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $63,000 Location Quotient: 1.169. California
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 4,164 Average Annual Salary: $50,335 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 1.0410. New Hampshire
Total Correction Officer Jobs: 205 Average Annual Salary: $47,867 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $66,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
Correction Officer JobsNear Ashburn, VA
How Zippia determines the best states to be a correction officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a correction officer
| Rank | State | Average Salary | Lowest 10% Earn | Population | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $49,301 | $33,000 | 2,998,039 | 348 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $59,246 | $50,000 | 1,427,538 | 130 |
| 3 | Washington | $51,191 | $36,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,079 |
| 4 | New York | $52,522 | $36,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,799 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $50,721 | $35,000 | 3,588,184 | 440 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $44,329 | $30,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,745 |
| 7 | Oregon | $48,252 | $33,000 | 4,142,776 | 588 |
| 8 | Colorado | $46,222 | $33,000 | 5,607,154 | 943 |
| 9 | California | $50,335 | $33,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,164 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $47,867 | $34,000 | 1,342,795 | 205 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $48,350 | $33,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,019 |
| 12 | Illinois | $48,164 | $35,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,377 |
| 13 | Ohio | $40,569 | $28,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,560 |
| 14 | Vermont | $43,576 | $31,000 | 623,657 | 103 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $43,804 | $31,000 | 5,576,606 | 852 |
| 16 | Maryland | $44,438 | $30,000 | 6,052,177 | 938 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $38,818 | $27,000 | 5,795,483 | 848 |
| 18 | Michigan | $41,194 | $29,000 | 9,962,311 | 979 |
| 19 | Alaska | $43,886 | $34,000 | 739,795 | 103 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $40,613 | $28,000 | 1,059,639 | 169 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $44,907 | $31,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,071 |
| 22 | Delaware | $40,822 | $27,000 | 961,939 | 165 |
| 23 | Iowa | $40,246 | $29,000 | 3,145,711 | 412 |
| 24 | Arizona | $36,624 | $24,000 | 7,016,270 | 984 |
| 25 | Alabama | $37,269 | $27,000 | 4,874,747 | 587 |
| 26 | Idaho | $35,119 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 331 |
| 27 | Maine | $38,946 | $28,000 | 1,335,907 | 166 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $36,413 | $26,000 | 755,393 | 125 |
| 29 | Virginia | $35,422 | $24,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,695 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $34,120 | $24,000 | 1,920,076 | 381 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $36,440 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 180 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $36,166 | $25,000 | 2,088,070 | 259 |
| 33 | Utah | $37,730 | $26,000 | 3,101,833 | 367 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $33,858 | $24,000 | 3,930,864 | 460 |
| 35 | District of Columbia | $39,664 | $27,000 | 693,972 | 190 |
| 36 | Kansas | $36,517 | $26,000 | 2,913,123 | 272 |
| 37 | Florida | $31,273 | $22,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,813 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $28,841 | $21,000 | 4,454,189 | 711 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $35,731 | $25,000 | 579,315 | 37 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $34,273 | $24,000 | 4,684,333 | 356 |
| 41 | Missouri | $28,949 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 938 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $33,516 | $24,000 | 869,666 | 114 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $29,079 | $21,000 | 2,984,100 | 304 |
| 44 | Indiana | $32,637 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 744 |
| 45 | Texas | $33,252 | $23,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,221 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $31,406 | $23,000 | 6,715,984 | 608 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $27,584 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 373 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $31,387 | $23,000 | 10,273,419 | 944 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $30,205 | $22,000 | 5,024,369 | 520 |
| 50 | Georgia | $28,977 | $21,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,295 |
| 51 | Montana | $29,322 | $21,000 | 1,050,493 | 93 |
Highest paying states for correction officers
| Rank | State | Avg. Correction Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $49,301 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $59,246 |
| 3 | Washington | $51,191 |
| 4 | New York | $52,522 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $50,721 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $44,329 |
| 7 | Oregon | $48,252 |
| 8 | Colorado | $46,222 |
| 9 | California | $50,335 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $47,867 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $48,350 |
| 12 | Illinois | $48,164 |
| 13 | Ohio | $40,569 |
| 14 | Vermont | $43,576 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $43,804 |
| 16 | Maryland | $44,438 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $38,818 |
| 18 | Michigan | $41,194 |
| 19 | Alaska | $43,886 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $40,613 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $44,907 |
| 22 | Delaware | $40,822 |
| 23 | Iowa | $40,246 |
| 24 | Arizona | $36,624 |
| 25 | Alabama | $37,269 |
| 26 | Idaho | $35,119 |
| 27 | Maine | $38,946 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $36,413 |
| 29 | Virginia | $35,422 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $34,120 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $36,440 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $36,166 |
| 33 | Utah | $37,730 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $33,858 |
| 35 | District of Columbia | $39,664 |
| 36 | Kansas | $36,517 |
| 37 | Florida | $31,273 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $28,841 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $35,731 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $34,273 |
| 41 | Missouri | $28,949 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $33,516 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $29,079 |
| 44 | Indiana | $32,637 |
| 45 | Texas | $33,252 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $31,406 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $27,584 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $31,387 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $30,205 |
| 50 | Georgia | $28,977 |
| 51 | Montana | $29,322 |
Correction Officer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025