How much does a first-line supervisors of correctional officer make?

The median pay is $37.49 per hour — roughly $78,000 a year, with the real range running from about $25.16/hr (10th percentile) to $61.43/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a first-line supervisors of correctional officer?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a first-line supervisors of correctional officer actually do all day?

Take, receive, or check periodic inmate counts. Maintain order, discipline, and security within assigned areas in accordance with relevant rules, regulations, policies, and laws. Maintain knowledge of, comply with, and enforce all institutional policies, rules, procedures, and regulations.

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First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and jailers.

What it pays
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers earn a median of $37.49/hr — about $78,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $25.16/hr; the top 10% earn $61.43/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

Take, receive, or check periodic inmate counts.
Maintain order, discipline, and security within assigned areas in accordance with relevant rules, regulations, policies, and laws.
Maintain knowledge of, comply with, and enforce all institutional policies, rules, procedures, and regulations.
Respond to emergencies, such as escapes.
Supervise and direct the work of correctional officers to ensure the safe custody, discipline, and welfare of inmates.
Supervise or perform searches of inmates or their quarters to locate contraband items.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly; time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0% of first-line supervisors of correctional officers are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are take-charge, organized and detail-focused and people-focused.

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Quick questions

How much does a first-line supervisors of correctional officer make?: The median pay is $37.49 per hour — roughly $78,000 a year, with the real range running from about $25.16/hr (10th percentile) to $61.43/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a first-line supervisors of correctional officer?: The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
What does a first-line supervisors of correctional officer actually do all day?: Take, receive, or check periodic inmate counts. Maintain order, discipline, and security within assigned areas in accordance with relevant rules, regulations, policies, and laws. Maintain knowledge of, comply with, and enforce all institutional policies, rules, procedures, and regulations.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.