Correctional guard vs correction officer

The differences between correctional guards and correction 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 $37,889 average annual salary of a correctional guard.

The top three skills for a correctional guard include facility policy, security checks and emergency situations. The most important skills for a correction officer are public safety, correctional facility, and emergency situations.

Correctional guard vs correction officer overview

	Correctional Guard	Correction Officer
Yearly salary	$37,889	$39,369
Hourly rate	$18.22	$18.93
Growth rate	-10%	-10%
Number of jobs	18,348	103,383
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Correctional guard vs correction officer salary

Correctional guards and correction officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Correctional Guard	Correction Officer
Average salary	$37,889	$39,369
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $48,000	Between $28,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between correctional guard and correction officer education

There are a few differences between a correctional guard and a correction officer in terms of educational background:

	Correctional Guard	Correction Officer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Correctional guard vs correction officer demographics

Here are the differences between correctional guards' and correction officers' demographics:

	Correctional Guard	Correction Officer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%	Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 19.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 2.0% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between correctional guard and correction officer duties and responsibilities

Correctional guard example responsibilities.

Aid inmates in their rehabilitation by scheduling work assignments, counseling, and educational opportunities.
Issue weapons and ammunition for transportation officers.

Correction officer example responsibilities.

Manage behavior modification and offender restoration rehabilitation.
Implement defensive tactics and physical restraints to maintain the safety and security of the general public.
Conduct NCIC background reports on all new inmates within the facility.
Collect felony DNA enter finger prints into live scan for NCIC.
finger prints and background information and placement in to the pod )
Feed, book-in inmates, control movement and supervise medical treatment.

Correctional guard vs correction officer skills

Common correctional guard skills

Facility Policy, 29%
Security Checks, 21%
Emergency Situations, 21%
Clinical Treatment, 17%
CPR, 3%
Vital Signs, 2%

Common correction officer skills

Public Safety, 27%
Correctional Facility, 11%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Security Checks, 5%
Incident Reports, 5%
CPR, 5%

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Protective Service Industry
Correctional Guard
Correctional Guard vs Correction Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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