Criminologist Salary Range
Criminologists are sociologists who study the phenomenon of crime by examining its societal and psychological factors. They work for law enforcement organizations like local police departments and the FBI, among other groups. Factors impacting how much a criminologist earns per year include years of experience, the economic sector employing the criminologist, and the geographic location in which she works.
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Highest Paying Employers
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According to May 2009 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employers paying the highest salaries to criminologists were the federal government, the federal executive branch, social advocacy organizations, religious organizations and those in the fields of engineering and life science research. The average criminologist salary from these employers was $101,320, $101,320, $90,930, $89,460, and $84,980, respectively. At the opposite end of the pay scale were health care organizations, state governments, educational services operated by local governments, elementary and secondary schools, followed by non-public elementary and secondary schools. The salaries from these employers were $61,120, $56,050, $53,950, $53,950, and $53,430.
Location
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Where a criminologist works also has a great impact on his earnings. The best paying metropolitan areas for criminologists were the Nassau-Suffolk region of New York, the Washington-Arlington area, the New York-North New Jersey region, the White Plains area of New York, and Oakland, Ca. Those regions paid $116,620, $93,180, $92,120, $86,840, and $85,940 on average. In sharp contrast, the Durham, N.C.; Boston; Long Beach, Ca.; Santa Ana, Ca.; and Raleigh, N.C.; regions paid criminologists the lowest salaries of all metropolitan areas: $69,520, $68,420, $68,100, $67,790, and $41,520.
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Highest Employment Rates
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The U.S. has a spectrum of employment rates for criminologists because some sectors need these workers more than others. Those who employed the most criminologists were social science researchers, federal and local governments, educational services, colleges, and life science researchers. These groups paid $89,460, $90,930, $80,460, $79,850, and $78,830. Those who employed the fewest criminologists were elementary and secondary schools, public educational services, management consulting services, the federal executive branch, and health care services. These employers paid $83,870, $84,000, $79,300, $101,320, and $53,950.
State and National Averages
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As with the salary data for metropolitan areas, the difference in pay across different states can help new criminologists choose where to work. The states or districts paying the highest average salary to criminologists were the District of Columbia, New York, California, Arizona and Massachusetts. The pay for these regions was $93,870, $83,850, $79,100, $76,790, and $68,730. The BLS estimated the average pay for criminologists across the U.S. to be $76,190.
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References
- Photo Credit handcuffs image by Daniel Wiedemann from Fotolia.com
