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Prison officer vs custodial officer

The differences between prison officers and custodial officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a prison officer has an average salary of $43,925, which is higher than the $42,867 average annual salary of a custodial officer.

The top three skills for a prison officer include security checks, incident reports and . The most important skills for a custodial officer are emergency calls, security checks, and law enforcement.

Prison officer vs custodial officer overview

Prison OfficerCustodial Officer
Yearly salary$43,925$42,867
Hourly rate$21.12$20.61
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs57,229101,579
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 33%Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age4040
Years of experience--

Prison officer vs custodial officer salary

Prison officers and custodial officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Prison OfficerCustodial Officer
Average salary$43,925$42,867
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $58,000Between $31,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Wellpath
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between prison officer and custodial officer education

There are a few differences between a prison officer and a custodial officer in terms of educational background:

Prison OfficerCustodial Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 33%Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common college--

Prison officer vs custodial officer demographics

Here are the differences between prison officers' and custodial officers' demographics:

Prison OfficerCustodial Officer
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 82.1% Female, 17.9%Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 17.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 15.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 2.0% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between prison officer and custodial officer duties and responsibilities

Prison officer example responsibilities.

  • Complete fire safety, CPR, self-defense and investigation/observation training, along with behavioral awareness/management training.
  • Serve as loader of special ammunition weapon; prepare ammunition while exercising safety precautions.

Custodial officer example responsibilities.

  • Watch CCTV cameras and control security doors.
  • Conduct rounds, answer phones and monitor the CCTV.
  • Maintain booking and release records, Huber accounts, and property records.
  • Assist officers in the booking of suspects; searching, fingerprinting, transporting.
  • Patrol assign areas for evidence of unauthorize activities, infractions of rules, unsatisfactory attitudes or unsatisfactory adjustment of inmates.
  • Administer basic emergency first aid and cardio pulmonary resuscitation as needed.

Prison officer vs custodial officer skills

Common prison officer skills
  • Security Checks, 58%
  • Incident Reports, 42%
Common custodial officer skills
  • Emergency Calls, 23%
  • Security Checks, 16%
  • Law Enforcement, 12%
  • Communication Systems, 10%
  • Booking, 7%
  • Public Safety, 7%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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