Correctional officers and jailers
SOC Code: 33-3012
Correctional officers and jailers carries a 43% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $57,970 and -7.8% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 387,500 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 43% AI exposure, Correctional officers and jailers sits 6 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 76% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
27/100
Correctional officers and jailers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage D $57,970
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -7.8%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 43% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Correctional officers and jailers in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Correctional officers and jailers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Correctional officers and jailers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
43% Higher than most higher than 76% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Correctional officers and jailers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Correctional officers and jailers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Correctional officers and jailers's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 33-3012) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Correctional officers and jailers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Correctional officers and jailers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
- 2. Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
- 3. 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.
- 4. Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
- 5. Guard facility entrances to screen visitors.
- 6. Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities.
- 7. Inspect mail for the presence of contraband.
- 8. Search for and recapture escapees.
- 9. Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges.
- 10. Use weapons, handcuffs, and physical force to maintain discipline and order among prisoners.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Coordination
- Persuasion
- Active Learning
- Negotiation
Knowledge Areas
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
- Psychology
- Administrative
- Education and Training
- Telecommunications
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Correctional officers and jailers?
Correctional officers and jailers has an AI exposure score of 43%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Correctional officers and jailers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Correctional officers and jailers is projected to decline by 7.8% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 387,500 workers.
What skills are needed for Correctional officers and jailers?
Key skills for Correctional officers and jailers include Active Listening, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Correctional officers and jailers earn?
The median annual wage for Correctional officers and jailers is $57,970, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Correctional officers and jailers?
The typical entry-level education for Correctional officers and jailers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Correctional officers and jailers?
Correctional officers and jailers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Correctional officers and jailers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (43% here).
- Adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors · AI exposure 43%
- Chief executives · AI exposure 43%
- Coin, vending, and amusement machine servicers and repairers · AI exposure 43%
- Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other · AI exposure 43%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-7.8% here).
- Office and administrative support workers, all other · growth -7.8%
- Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks · growth -7.7%
- Printing press operators · growth -8.1%
- Locksmiths and safe repairers · growth -8.3%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
What to do with this
Use Correctional officers and jailers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Correctional officers and jailers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).