First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

Median salary

$77,970

Average salary

$84,380

Employment

53,380

Projected growth

2.8% decline

Annual openings

4,300

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers Do

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and jailers.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.8/5
Law and Governmentimportance 4.4/5
Administration and Managementimportance 4.2/5
Psychologyimportance 4.1/5
English Languageimportance 4.0/5
Administrativeimportance 3.7/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.6/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Telephone Conversations4.9/5
Contact With Others4.8/5
Health and Safety of Other Workers4.8/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers98% skill match
Residential Advisors97% skill match
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers97% skill match
Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance97% skill match
Social and Community Service Managers96% skill match
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives96% skill match
Community Health Workers96% skill match
Transit and Railroad Police96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
Coordinationimportance 4.0/5
Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.8/5
Persuasionimportance 3.5/5
Negotiationimportance 3.5/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
Instructingimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

3M Electronic Monitoring
Email software
Guardian RFID
Jail management software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Stress Tolerance
Dependability
Integrity
Self-Control
Cautiousness
Leadership Orientation
Attention to Detail

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

EnterprisingHigh
ConventionalHigh
SocialMedium
RealisticMedium
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where first-line supervisors of correctional officers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).