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Corrections specialist salary

Quoted expert
Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.

Average corrections specialist salary

$40,653

$19.54 hourly rate

Entry-level corrections specialist salary
$27,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Corrections Specialist Salaries

As a Corrections Specialist, your responsibilities may include supervising offenders, developing rehabilitation programs, and managing inmate records. The average salary is $40,653 per year, but this can change based on factors such as geographic location and years of experience. For instance, specialists in urban areas often earn more due to higher living costs and demand for services.

In states like California and New York, corrections specialists frequently enjoy higher salaries compared to their counterparts in less populous regions. Additionally, those with advanced certifications or years of experience can expect to see a pay increase.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry-level specialists earn less, while those with several years of experience can command salaries upwards of $55,000. Cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are among the highest paying for this role. To maximize your career potential, consider pursuing additional training or certifications related to corrections.

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Where can a Corrections Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
85k
65k
45k
25k
5k
Columbus, OH$64,353
Indianapolis, IN$35,111
Compare salary by company
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86k
66k
46k
26k
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Washington State University$56,126
Florida Dept. of Health$35,897

Corrections specialist salaries by experience level

Average corrections specialist salary by state

The average corrections specialist salary in Washington, New York, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average corrections specialist salary states are Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for corrections specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Nevada$54,468$26.19
2New York$60,255$28.97
3Oregon$50,737$24.39
4Vermont$48,011$23.08
5New Hampshire$53,457$25.70
6Washington$63,929$30.74
7Arizona$47,386$22.78
8Pennsylvania$48,765$23.44
9Hawaii$53,935$25.93
10Iowa$43,405$20.87
11Connecticut$56,507$27.17
12Massachusetts$51,851$24.93
13New Jersey$53,736$25.83
14Delaware$45,083$21.67
15Alaska$45,776$22.01
16Maryland$49,535$23.81
17North Dakota$41,661$20.03
18Michigan$44,102$21.20
19Rhode Island$45,125$21.69
20Illinois$46,591$22.40
21Alabama$42,122$20.25
22Ohio$41,780$20.09
23Wyoming$38,901$18.70
24Utah$41,277$19.84
25Colorado$45,828$22.03
26West Virginia$39,596$19.04
27Florida$39,836$19.15
28Idaho$40,460$19.45
29Wisconsin$42,570$20.47
30Nebraska$39,178$18.84
31Minnesota$43,810$21.06
32Maine$42,575$20.47
33California$46,913$22.55
34Louisiana$37,747$18.15
35Kansas$39,010$18.75
36New Mexico$41,041$19.73
37North Carolina$37,228$17.90
38District of Columbia$43,453$20.89
39South Dakota$37,041$17.81
40Montana$37,610$18.08
41Oklahoma$35,712$17.17
42Virginia$37,340$17.95
43Texas$35,323$16.98
44Tennessee$34,912$16.78
45Indiana$35,357$17.00
46Georgia$34,403$16.54
47South Carolina$35,644$17.14
48Arkansas$27,812$13.37
49Mississippi$33,523$16.12
50Missouri$23,863$11.47
51Kentucky$31,023$14.91

Highest paying cities for corrections specialists

The highest-paying cities for corrections specialists are Everett, WA, Albany, NY, and Urban Honolulu, HI.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Everett, WA$64,353$30.94
2Albany, NY$58,060$27.91
3Urban Honolulu, HI$53,955$25.94
4Manchester, NH$53,575$25.76
5West Springfield Town, MA$52,348$25.17
6Hillsboro, OR$50,396$24.23
7Denver, CO$45,687$21.96
8Pontiac, MI$44,323$21.31
9Eagan, MN$43,769$21.04
10Grand Forks, ND$41,946$20.17
11Doral, FL$40,626$19.53
12Twin Falls, ID$40,351$19.40
13Topeka, KS$38,881$18.69
14Baton Rouge, LA$37,829$18.19
15Hampton, VA$37,352$17.96
16Sioux Falls, SD$36,871$17.73
17Austin, TX$35,643$17.14
18Indianapolis, IN$35,111$16.88

Corrections specialist salary details

A corrections specialist's salary ranges from $27,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $59,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average corrections specialist salary graph
Average corrections specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a corrections specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$59,000$4,917$28
75th Percentile$49,000$4,083$24
Average$40,653$3,388$20
25th Percentile$33,000$2,750$16
10th Percentile$27,000$2,250$13

Highest paying corrections specialist jobs

The highest paying types of corrections specialists are specialist, house officer, and reserve officer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Custodial Officer$42,867$3,572$20.61101,579
Detention Officer$40,087$3,341$19.27116,529
Classification Officer$41,484$3,457$19.9480,891
Corporal$51,741$4,312$24.88320
Juvenile Corrections Officer$42,103$3,509$20.2499,602
Correction Officer$39,369$3,281$18.93103,383

How would you rate the starting salaries for corrections specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Rowan University

Educators are not paid nearly enough. However, working in a state with strong teachers' unions helps to ensure a starting salary that recent graduates can live off of and growth opportunities, albeit modest, over their careers.

Which companies pay corrections specialists the most?

Corrections specialist salaries at Washington State University and Baker Concrete Construction are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average corrections specialist salary at companies like Mutual of America Financial Group and State of North Dakota are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Washington State University$56,126$26.98
2Baker Concrete Construction$55,882$26.87
3Mutual of America Financial Group$50,609$24.33
4State of North Dakota$48,311$23.23
5Pennsylvania State Treasurer$48,257$23.20
6Peoples Services$47,716$22.94
7Oakland County, Michigan Government$47,653$22.91
8Salt Lake County$47,010$22.60
9Rings Levin A Atty$43,230$20.78
10My Florida Regional Mls$42,942$20.65
11Travis County$41,200$19.81
12Randstad North America, Inc.$40,933$19.68
13City of Hampton$40,893$19.66
14State Of South Dakota$39,930$19.20
15State of West Virginia$38,802$18.65
16Vitaver and Associates$38,265$18.40
17Community Resources for Justice$38,108$18.32
18Maine$36,028$17.32
19Florida Department of Transportation$35,899$17.26
20Florida Dept. of Health$35,897$17.26

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$42,000$41,000$40,000$39,000$38,000$37,000
MaleFemale

Corrections specialist salary trends

The average corrections specialist salary has risen by $7,220 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average corrections specialist earned $33,433 annually, but today, they earn $40,653 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for corrections specialists over the last decade.

Compare corrections specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average corrections specialist salary over time

Compare corrections specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Corrections specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$40,700$19.54+4.7%
2025$38,700$18.63+1.9%
2024$38,000$18.28+1.8%
2023$37,300$17.95+1.7%
2022$36,700$17.65+5.3%

Recently added corrections specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
DasstateohCorrectional Workshop Specialist (CDL) 20018161Enon, OH06/29/2025$45,851
Dent Wizard InternationalAutomotive Paint Correction SpecialistDaytona Beach, FL06/28/2025$45,000
Dent Wizard InternationalAutomotive Paint Correction SpecialistRochester, NY06/28/2025$45,000
Department of The InteriorSupervisory Correctional SpecialistTowaoc, CO06/26/2025$73,939
State of FloridaCorrectional Probation SpecialistTallahassee, FL06/25/2025$55,233
State of North CarolinaCorrectional Training Specialist-Alexander Correctional InstitutionBoone, NC06/24/2025$39,671
Dent Wizard InternationalAutomotive Paint Correction SpecialistGreensboro, NC06/22/2025$45,000
Dent Wizard InternationalAutomotive Paint Correction SpecialistNew Brunswick, NJ06/20/2025$45,000
State of WisconsinCorrectional Enterprises SpecialistWaupun, WI06/20/2025$54,325
State of WashingtonCorrections Specialist 4 | Washington WAYTumwater, WA06/17/2025$81,420

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