Correctional Officer vs Police Officer: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Correctional Officer vs Police Officer: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 33-3012 and 33-3051). The national median annual wage is $58,940 for correctional officers and $76,210 for police officers (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change -7.4% for correctional officers and +3.5% for police officers from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent vs High school diploma or equivalent. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Correctional OfficerSOC 33-3012 | Police OfficerSOC 33-3051 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $58,940 | $76,210 | Police Officer |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 380,500 | 670,520 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | -7.4% | +3.5% | Police Officer |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | -29,500 jobs | +24,200 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 28,400 a year | 51,500 a year | Police Officer |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | Moderate-term on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training | Not ranked |
| Telework available (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | less than 0.5% | less than 0.5% | About the same |
| No prior work experience required (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 51.3% | 79.5% | Police Officer |
| Most common minimum education (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS · A different metric from BLS typical entry-level education. | High school diploma (97.0%) | High school diploma (85.8%) | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.34 | 4.06 | Police Officer |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.50 | 4.51 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.22 | 4.30 | About the same |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Stress Tolerance, Integrity, Dependability | Stress Tolerance, Dependability, Integrity | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($76,210 vs $58,940)
- faster projected national growth matters (+3.5% vs -7.4%)
- starting without prior experience matters (79.5% vs 51.3%)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (4.06 vs 4.34)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 74% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Quality Control Analysis (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Maintenance (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Selection (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Repairing (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Writing (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Persuasion (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Judgment and Decision Making (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Service Orientation (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Correctional Officer
- Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
- Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
- Monitor conduct of prisoners in housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations, and procedures, to prevent escape or violence.
- Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
Police Officer
- Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
- Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
- Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.
- Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Correctional Officer
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (96.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Administrative and support services (3.8% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (0.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
Police Officer
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (95.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Educational services; state, local, and private (4.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (0.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Correctional Officer → Police Officer: skills to build: Writing, Persuasion, Judgment and Decision Making.
- Police Officer → Correctional Officer: skills to build: Quality Control Analysis, Equipment Maintenance, Equipment Selection. Careers after Police Officer
Go deeper
Correctional Officer career hub · Correctional Officer salary · Correctional Officer how to become · Police Officer career hub · Police Officer salary · Police Officer career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Correctional Officer or Police Officer?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 33-3012 and 33-3051). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 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. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “correctional officer vs police officer salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).