Prison Guard Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

About 442,000 prison guards are working in the US. Unemployment for workers ranks very low among occupations in the US. In 2008, 2% of employees were not able to find jobs.

Area Job Conditions

Popular cities for employees include Pine Bluff (Arkansas), Cumberland (Maryland), and Killeen (Texas), and the least popular are Fayetteville (Arkansas), Knoxville (Tennessee), and Santa Ana (California).

Prison guards looking for high paying jobs should consider San Francisco (California), Edison (New Jersey), and Stockton (California), and avoid Longview (Texas), Fort Smith (Arkansas), and Florence (Alabama).

Training and Education

Workers often get moderate-term on-the-job training before beginning their career. About 11% of employees have four year degrees. Prison guards that went to college (but did not get a bachelor's degree) are about 49% of the total. Some workers, about 40%, did not pursue education beyond high-school. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Part-time prison guards are 2% of the total.

Prison Guards: An Introductory Video

Prison Guards Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of prison guards compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for prison guards.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$33,000	1,230
Montgomery	$35,000	1,100
Tuscaloosa	$31,000	150
Florence	$21,000	80
Dothan	$27,000	80
Auburn		70

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$37,000	7,150
Yuma	$36,000	580

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Pine Bluff	$31,000	1,450
Little Rock		670
Fort Smith	$23,000	260
Fayetteville	$30,000	140

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Riverside	$65,000	5,170
Bakersfield	$65,000	4,140
Sacramento	$57,000	2,920
San Francisco	$69,000	1,320
Santa Ana	$57,000	1,060
Stockton	$64,000	990

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$49,000	2,330
Colorado Springs	$46,000	460

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$52,000	3,100

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Tampa	$47,000	2,700
Jacksonville	$39,000	1,060
Tallahassee		800
Panama City	$30,000	570

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$32,000	3,950
Augusta	$32,000	1,230
Macon	$28,000	650
Albany	$29,000	510
Columbus		500
Brunswick	$30,000	110

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$46,000	1,100

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$33,000	800
Pocatello	$34,000	90
Lewiston	$36,000	50

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Champaign	$30,000	100

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$31,000	2,280
Gary	$29,000	630
Muncie	$25,000	330
Fort Wayne	$30,000	280
Evansville	$30,000	230
Lafayette	$30,000	120
Bloomington	$27,000	80

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Davenport	$50,000	360
Des Moines	$46,000	290
Cedar Rapids		290

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Topeka	$31,000	760

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$29,000	1,430
Lexington	$34,000	720

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baton Rouge	$33,000	3,020
New Orleans	$26,000	1,390
Alexandria	$38,000	590
Shreveport	$36,000	500
Lake Charles	$27,000	340
Lafayette		320

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$36,000	460

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$43,000	5,270
Cumberland	$43,000	900

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$55,000	3,320
Springfield	$45,000	1,560

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$44,000	1,050
Detroit		800
Lansing	$50,000	180

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$43,000	2,990
Duluth	$46,000	420

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$24,000	1,120
Gulfport	$27,000	380
Pascagoula	$27,000	110

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Kansas City	$34,000	2,370
St Louis	$39,000	2,090

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$37,000	860

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$59,000	1,860

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$60,000	3,140
Camden	$61,000	2,400
Edison	$65,000	2,120

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$28,000	3,680

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Rochester	$53,000	1,770
Albany	$45,000	1,220
Syracuse	$44,000	310

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$33,000	1,660
Hickory	$30,000	1,120
Greensboro	$37,000	530
Wilmington	$32,000	450
Asheville	$30,000	390
Durham	$32,000	310

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$37,000	130
Grand Forks	$33,000	110

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$38,000	2,140
Cincinnati	$37,000	1,650
Youngstown	$41,000	1,370
Toledo	$37,000	450
Lima	$43,000	410

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$33,000	2,040
Tulsa	$27,000	770

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$49,000	1,460

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Pittsburgh	$45,000	1,660
Scranton	$44,000	1,080
Harrisburg	$46,000	970
Allentown	$41,000	580

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$48,000	1,140

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Columbia	$30,000	2,120
Sumter	$30,000	220
Florence	$28,000	160
Myrtle Beach	$32,000	160

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Memphis	$40,000	2,510
Nashville	$29,000	2,380
Chattanooga	$30,000	500
Knoxville	$28,000	240
Morristown	$25,000	60

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$30,000	6,350
Dallas	$32,000	3,050
San Antonio	$33,000	2,890
Killeen	$28,000	2,640
Fort Worth	$35,000	1,470
Mcallen	$29,000	990
Longview	$24,000	810
Lubbock	$28,000	530
Texarkana	$32,000	500
Laredo	$32,000	80

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Richmond	$38,000	3,010
Virginia Beach	$39,000	2,040
Roanoke		310
Lynchburg	$32,000	270
Blacksburg	$39,000	140

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Morgantown	$45,000	320
Huntington	$38,000	310

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$48,000	640
Racine	$38,000	550
Madison	$42,000	500
Green Bay	$41,000	440
Eau Claire	$39,000	400
Appleton	$43,000	120

Our prison guard career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.