Correctional Officers and Jailers in Tennessee

Want to work in Tennessee as a Correctional Officer or Jailer? Read this first!

While jobs for Correctional Officers and Jailers in Tennessee are decreasing, those who do work in these jobs get paid higher than average.

• Employment for Correctional Officers and Jailers in Tennessee is expected to decrease.

• Correctional Officers and Jailers in Tennessee earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For a Correctional Officer or Jailer Career?

• Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting
• Criminal Justice & Corrections
• Corrections
• Juvenile Corrections
• Other Corrections & Criminal Justice

How Many Correctional Officers and Jailers Work in Tennessee?

In Tennessee, there were 9,670 people working as Correctional Officers and Jailers in the year 2018.

There were 9,600 Correctional Officers and Jailers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 70 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 5,215 Correctional Officers and Jailers working in it, which means Tennessee has more Correctional Officers and Jailers than average.

Job Projections for Tennessee

Jobs for Correctional Officers and Jailers in this state are declining at a rate of 5.6% which is a slower decline than the nationwide estimated projection of %.

Tennessee Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates there will be 670 annual job openings, and 8,720 total jobs in 2026 for Correctional Officers and Jailers in this state.

Nationwide, the prediction is 31,300 annual jobs and 415,500 total jobs in 2026.

What do Correctional Officers and Jailers Make in Tennessee?

In 2018 wages for Correctional Officers and Jailers ranged from $26,470 to $47,790 with $34,890 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $12.72 to $22.97. The median hourly rate was $16.77.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $15.37 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $1.40.

The median salary in Tennessee is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top Tennessee Metros for Correctional Officers and Jailers

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Correctional Officers and Jailers.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN	2,530	$35,800
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	1,920	$42,960
Knoxville, TN	1,080	$34,590
Chattanooga, TN-GA	500	$35,700
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA	410	$36,000
Clarksville, TN-KY	250	$34,890
Johnson City, TN	140	$40,060
Jackson, TN	50	$31,160

Top States for Correctional Officers and Jailers Employment

View the list below to see where most Correctional Officers and Jailers work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
New York	35,460	$63,600
California	34,980	$77,520
Florida	33,060	$37,920
Pennsylvania	16,850	$51,010
North Carolina	15,720	$36,770
Georgia	15,500	$34,170
Virginia	14,910	$37,990
Illinois	14,050	$63,330
Arizona	13,810	$43,110
Ohio	13,310	$46,770
New Jersey	11,240	$71,700
Tennessee	9,670	$34,890
Michigan	9,100	$56,330
Missouri	8,420	$30,050
Indiana	7,990	$33,890
Louisiana	7,890	$30,760
Washington	7,190	$55,290
Colorado	6,990	$46,060
Wisconsin	6,870	$42,680
Maryland	6,780	$47,150

Below are the states where Correctional Officers and Jailers get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
California	$77,520
New Jersey	$71,700
Rhode Island	$69,710
Massachusetts	$69,560
New York	$63,600
Illinois	$63,330
Alaska	$62,330
Oregon	$61,090
Hawaii	$58,650
Nevada	$57,450

Related Careers in Tennessee

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation	Tennessee Employment Total
Bailiffs	310

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.