Career
First-line supervisors of correctional officers
Lead the officers who run a jail or prison.
$77,970
Median pay
-2.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
3,700
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Take, receive, or check periodic inmate counts.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $77,970 a year and 3,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Criminal JusticeSee the degree →
- Criminal Justice and Corrections, GeneralCIP 43.0100
- CorrectionsCIP 43.0102
- Criminal Justice/Safety StudiesCIP 43.0104
- Corrections AdministrationCIP 43.0113
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Correctional Officers and Jailers$58,940 · -7.4%
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$66,270 · +3.0%
- First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers$55,940 · +3.7%
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$106,040 · +3.3%
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$76,210 · +3.5%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.