The average parole officer salary is $45,474. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an criminal justice major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a parole officer. Parole officers with a Microsoft Office Specialist: Expert (Office 365 and Office 2019) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 3,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Parole Officer Do

There are certain skills that many parole officers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, emotional stability and organizational skills.

Learn more about what a Parole Officer does

How To Become a Parole Officer

If you're interested in becoming a parole officer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 75.3% of parole officers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 14.5% of parole officers have master's degrees. Even though most parole officers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Parole Officer Career Paths

Average Salary for a Parole Officer

Parole Officers in America make an average salary of $45,474 per year or $22 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $66,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $31,000 per year.
Average Parole Officer Salary
$45,474 Yearly
$21.86 hourly

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Roles and Types of Parole Officer

There are several types of parole officer, including:

Probation Officer

Role:

A Probation officer lives a fascinating life. Probation officers meet with criminals during their probation period to keep an eye on their behavior. They work with the criminals to prevent them from committing any new crime.

The role of a probation officer is to make sure the criminal fulfills every probationary demand. In case of any violation, they immediately report it to the local court. Before sentencing the offender, they carry out an investigation into the offender's criminal and personal history. They are bound to carry through with anything that courts assign to them.

To become a successful probation officer, you need a minimum associate's degree in criminal justice. But you require a bachelor's degree to work with more extensive and in-demand agencies. With pay of $20.05 per hour, you can work 40 hours every week, but might spend additional time meeting deadlines and doing investigations.

  • Average Salary: $47,252
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Juvenile Probation Officer

Role:

Juvenile probation officers manage and supervise the cases of youth offenders who are either under parole or probation. Their main duties revolve around monitoring the activities of their assigned cases to ensure that they don't commit any more offenses. Usually, this entails them visiting the youth's homes or even accompanying them to school. Furthermore, a juvenile probation officer conducts interviews, recommends rehabilitation or reformative plants for the offender, and coordinates with other parties such as schools, social services, and law enforcement agencies.

To meet their goal in turning youth offenders' lives around, however, a juvenile probation officer must also serve as a positive role model and provide counseling services to help youngsters overcome their issues. To become a juvenile probation officer, you must have a degree in criminal justice, psychology, social work, or something similar. You may also be required to have certification as a juvenile probation officer, which means you have undergone training to counsel troubled youth.

As a juvenile probation officer, you can earn an average of $48,000 per year. However, don't expect this job to be easy - be prepared for a lot of resistance, negative attitudes, and wrongful acts. Nevertheless, you can help youth offenders change their lives by doing your duties well.

  • Average Salary: $46,765
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Probation And Parole Officer

Role:

A probation and parole officer is a government-appointed official that is responsible for overseeing convicted offenders on probation. Some offenders are released from prison on probation after they've served only a part of their sentences. The aim of this is to guide offenders back into living as law-abiding citizens in society while also reducing the possibility that they will commit another offense.

Therefore, the probation and parole officer checks in with the assigned offender from time to time. They will ensure that this person adheres to the conditions of their probation or parole.

Since a parole officer's role can include working closely with violent offenders, it can be a dangerous job. They sometimes have to visit these offenders at home to carry out inspections. That is why not everyone is fit for this role. You must have a degree in psychology, criminal justice, or corrections to be a probation and payroll officer.

  • Average Salary: $46,271
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Parole Officer Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active parole officer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where parole officers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Parole Officer Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1Texas1,646$46,000
2New York1,560$57,808
3Illinois1,371$47,825
4Virginia1,212$43,117
5Massachusetts1,167$58,025
6Georgia1,157$33,691
7North Carolina1,111$40,697
8Pennsylvania1,047$41,939
9New Jersey1,013$55,827
10Minnesota969$51,143
11Ohio877$43,589
12Arizona777$53,177
13Maryland753$49,120
14Michigan728$46,821
15Colorado693$46,899
16Washington679$51,512
17Indiana659$35,307
18Missouri567$31,107
19Wisconsin562$35,857
20Tennessee498$41,223
21Alabama461$47,421
22South Carolina400$38,451
23Iowa391$50,978
24Oregon355$59,035
25Oklahoma318$41,524
26Kentucky315$40,154
27Nevada314$63,853
28Louisiana313$51,631
29Idaho311$46,603
30Connecticut305$59,364
31Mississippi279$60,393
32Kansas259$49,144
33Arkansas252$35,350
34Nebraska241$39,686
35New Mexico222$48,612
36New Hampshire182$56,422
37Rhode Island146$59,016
38Maine143$48,034
39West Virginia143$42,233
40North Dakota125$54,020
41Florida118$41,543
42South Dakota99$40,106
43Vermont82$53,987
44California29$64,567
45Alaska2$62,126
46Utah1$59,897
47Delaware0$59,289
48Wyoming0$47,493
49Hawaii0$41,455
50Montana0$35,981

Parole Officer Education

Parole Officer Majors

Parole Officer Degrees

Bachelors

75.3 %

Masters

14.5 %

Associate

7.6 %

Top Colleges for Parole Officers

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

3. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

8. Coppin State University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,873

Enrollment

2,326

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

Top Skills For a Parole Officer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.3% of parole officers listed sex offenders on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and emotional stability are important as well.

  • Sex Offenders, 15.3%
  • Criminal Justice, 12.2%
  • Social Work, 7.7%
  • Public Safety, 7.6%
  • Substance Abuse, 6.3%
  • Other Skills, 50.9%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Parole Officer Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Parole Officer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Parole Officer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Parole Officer diversity

Parole Officer Gender Distribution

Female
Female
52%
Male
Male
49%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among parole officers, 51.5% of them are women, while 48.5% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among parole officers is White, which makes up 60.7% of all parole officers.

  • The most common foreign language among parole officers is Spanish at 84.8%.

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Best States For a Parole Officer

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a parole officer. The best states for people in this position are California, Nevada, Alaska, and Mississippi. Parole officers make the most in California with an average salary of $64,567. Whereas in Nevada and Alaska, they would average $63,853 and $62,126, respectively. While parole officers would only make an average of $60,393 in Mississippi, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Nevada

Total Parole Officer Jobs: 314
Highest 10% Earn:
$94,000
Location Quotient:
1.73

2. Mississippi

Total Parole Officer Jobs: 279
Highest 10% Earn:
$89,000
Location Quotient:
1.51

3. Rhode Island

Total Parole Officer Jobs: 146
Highest 10% Earn:
$91,000
Location Quotient:
1.38
Full List Of Best States For Parole Officers

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Becoming a Parole Officer FAQs

Parole Officer Vs. Probation Officer

A parole officer supervises individuals who have been convicted of a crime and have served time in prison and who have been granted parole before the end of their actual sentence, while a probation officer supervises individuals who have been convicted of a crime but were sentenced to probation rather than jail time.

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