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The differences between correction officers and police officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police officer has an average salary of $52,638, which is higher than the $39,369 average annual salary of a correction officer.
The top three skills for a correction officer include public safety, correctional facility and emergency situations. The most important skills for a police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.
| Correction Officer | Police Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $39,369 | $52,638 |
| Hourly rate | $18.93 | $25.31 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 103,383 | 116,287 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | 2 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A correction officer is responsible for monitoring the daily activities of individuals serving time in prison, enforcing the standard rules and regulatory procedures to maintain safety and security within the premises. Correction officers' duties include searching for restricted items, inspecting the facilities' condition, observing unusual and suspicious behaviors, generating incident reports, and providing assistance during counseling and trial schedules. Correction officers must be highly knowledgeable of legal regulations. They must also cooperate with court procedures for any investigations within their place of work.
Police officers are responsible for keeping peace and security in a community. They uphold and enforce the law. They ensure that people in their assigned community follow the law. They also ensure that proper sanctions are given out to anyone who does not follow. Some police officers are assigned in the field, meaning they work outside of police stations. Those assigned to police stations are responsible for maintaining administrative matters as well, aside from maintaining peace and order. Police officers are expected to be trustworthy, to work with honor, and to keep their integrity intact.
Correction officers and police officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Correction Officer | Police Officer | |
| Average salary | $39,369 | $52,638 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $54,000 | Between $38,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | Icma-rc |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a correction officer and a police officer in terms of educational background:
| Correction Officer | Police Officer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between correction officers' and police officers' demographics:
| Correction Officer | Police Officer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 16.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 2.0% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |