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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

March 2025 workforce snapshot. The Correctional Officer occupation series had 15,996 employees with an average salary of $72,749.
15,996 employees in this occupation series
$72,749 average pay
Miscellaneous Occupations Group occupation family
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System largest agency for this occupation

What this page helps you check

Use this page when you want to see where a federal occupation is concentrated, which agencies employ the most people in it, and what the average pay looks like across government.

Occupation family

Correctional Officer is reported under the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family in the latest OPM summary.

Agencies that employ the most Correctional Officer staff

These are the agencies with the biggest reported headcount in this occupation series.

Agency Department Employees Total salary expense Average pay Share of occupation
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System Department of Justice 15,844 $1,153,517,992 $72,805 99.0%
Indian Affairs Department of the Interior 145 $9,532,161 $65,739 0.9%

Common pay plans for Correctional Officer

This shows the pay plans most commonly attached to this occupation series in the latest OPM summary.

Pay plan Employees Average pay Share of occupation
GL 14,902 $71,090 93.2%
GS 1,087 $95,363 6.8%

Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).