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The differences between correction officers and security officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a correction officer has an average salary of $39,369, which is higher than the $31,101 average annual salary of a security officer.
The top three skills for a correction officer include public safety, correctional facility and emergency situations. The most important skills for a security officer are customer service, ladders, and patrol.
| Correction Officer | Security Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $39,369 | $31,101 |
| Hourly rate | $18.93 | $14.95 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 103,383 | 125,879 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 40 | 43 |
| 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.
A security officer is responsible for maintaining the peace and safety of everyone by regularly patrolling and monitoring surveillance equipment within the assigned premises. Security officers' duties also include reporting suspicious behaviors, restricting trespassers and unauthorized personnel from entering the establishment, providing incident reports for policy violations, and adhering to the standard protocols and legal requirements set by the management. Security offers must also have excellent decision-making and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of emergency drills in case any unfortunate circumstances arise.
Correction officers and security officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Correction Officer | Security Officer | |
| Average salary | $39,369 | $31,101 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $54,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | Battelle |
| Best paying industry | Government | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a correction officer and a security officer in terms of educational background:
| Correction Officer | Security Officer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between correction officers' and security officers' demographics:
| Correction Officer | Security Officer | |
| Average age | 40 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% |
| 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, 12.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |