Jail officer vs jail guard

The differences between jail officers and jail guards can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a jail officer has an average salary of $40,440, which is higher than the $37,159 average annual salary of a jail guard.

Jail officer vs jail guard overview

	Jail Officer	Jail Guard
Yearly salary	$40,440	$37,159
Hourly rate	$19.44	$17.86
Growth rate	-10%	-10%
Number of jobs	57,236	16,153
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Jail officer vs jail guard salary

Jail officers and jail guards have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Jail Officer	Jail Guard
Average salary	$40,440	$37,159
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $55,000	Between $28,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between jail officer and jail guard education

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

	Jail Officer	Jail Guard
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Jail officer vs jail guard demographics

Here are the differences between jail officers' and jail guards' demographics:

	Jail Officer	Jail Guard
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 64.8% Female, 35.2%	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 17.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 2.0% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 17.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 2.0% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between jail officer and jail guard duties and responsibilities

Jail officer example responsibilities.

Job description includes booking in and managing inmates in correctional facility.
Administer first aid and CPR whenever necessary.
Experience and certification in VCIN, and CPR.
Run and enter information into NCIC computer network as needed.
Patrol assign areas for evidence of unauthorize activities, infractions of rules, unsatisfactory attitudes or unsatisfactory adjustment of inmates.
Operate and monitor CCTV, fire suppression and intrusion alarms and systems.

Jail guard example responsibilities.

Job description includes booking in and managing inmates in correctional facility.
Job description includes booking in and managing inmates in correctional facility.
Complete all finger printing in AFIS system as well as mugshot profiles.

Jail officer vs jail guard skills

Common jail officer skills

Booking, 19%
Security Checks, 10%
Security Procedures, 9%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Direct Supervision, 8%
Master Control, 5%

Common jail guard skills

Jail Officer vs. similar jobs

Jail Officer related careers

Jail Officer related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

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