Prison Guard Salary in California
Prison guards, or correctional officers, keep both prisoners and the public safe by maintaining order in jails and prisons. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects nine percent job growth for prison guards between 2008 and 2018. Longer prison sentences and the necessity of replacing guards who leave will create job openings, especially in rural locations. California has the highest average pay for prison guards of any state in the nation.
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Average Wage for California Prison Guards
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2009 California prison guards led the nation in pay, with an average hourly wage of $32.08 and annual pay of $66,720 for full-time work. At that time, California had 42,060 prison guards statewide.
Earnings in California Cities
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Of the five highest-paying metropolitan areas for prison guards, four were in California. The San Francisco-Redwood City area had the highest wages of all, paying guards an average annual salary of $72,860. The San Jose-Santa Clara area paid the second-highest average salary of $69,680, and Bakersfield, in third position, paid its guards an average of $68,690. The fifth-highest paying city, the Sacramento-Roseville area, paid prison guards an annual salary of $64,030.
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Job Distribution in California
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Bakersfield had high employment as well as high wages for prison guards. At the time of the BLS study, 4,960 guards were working in the Bakersfield area. Other areas with more than 1,000 guards included the Sacramento-Roseville area, 2,500 guards, and the San Francisco area, with 1,350 guards.
Comparison with National Average
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In 2009, the average correctional officer nationwide made $20.49 hourly or $42,610 per year. California prison guards, at $66,720 per year, exceeded the national average by more than $24,000 per year. In the country as a whole, the lowest-earning 10 percent of guards earned less than $25,960 per year, while the highest-earning 10 percent took home more than $64,850 per year. This puts California prison guards in the 90 percentile for salary.
Earnings by Industry
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Nationwide, officers working for federal and state governments had higher earnings than their local counterparts. Guards working for the federal executive branch had an average annual wage of $52,310, according to the BLS 2009 report. Those in state government facilities earned $43,710 on average, while those in local facilities took home $41,370 average annual pay.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Jobs
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Applicants for correctional officer with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation must be in good physical condition and have U.S. citizenship, a minimum age of 21 and a high school diploma or the equivalent. They also need eligibility to use firearms and must be free of felony convictions. Desirable qualifications include college degrees at any level and supervisory or military experience After hiring, candidates receive 16 weeks of training followed by a two-year apprenticeship in a correctional institution.
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References
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- Photo Credit prison image by Dubravko Grakalic from Fotolia.com
