Legal and Criminal Justice Salaries Legal, law enforcement and corrections jobs are hot commodities in today's job market, and a college degree or diploma will certainly give you a great advantage over non-college graduates. And criminal justice salaries go up with a college degree. College graduates earn on average about $15,000 more per year than people who haven't earned a college degree. Whether you're looking for a job as a forensic scientist, a police officer, a private investigator, a legal secretary, or another criminal justice-related job, increasing your education will increase your criminal justice salary. Remember that your level of experience and geographic location will also influence the amount of money you earn, as certain states and large cities tend to pay more to offset the higher cost of living. Also consider that working for a state or federal agency might pay you more than equivalent jobs at the local level.
Here are average pay ranges in the United States for a variety of criminal justice careers.
Criminal Justice Salaries in the Legal Profession Paralegal Salaries According to the 2008 National Association of Legal Assistants survey, paralegals earned an average salary of over $50,000 last year, including bonuses. Some higher-level paralegals made over $80,000. Learn more about paralegal training to find out how you can become a paralegal, or get an online paralegal degree. Find Paralegal Degree Programs Legal Secretary Salaries Legal secretaries earned a median salary of $39,860 in 2008, but the highest 10 percent earned more than $62,290. Find Legal Secretary Degree Programs Law Office Manager Salaries According to payscale.com, law office managers with one to four years of experience earned between $31,482 and $48,087 in 2008. With more experience, they can earn $60,000 or more depending on seniority and responsibilities. Find Law Office Manager Programs Mediator Salaries The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that mediators earned a median income of $59,650 in 2008, but the top 10 percent earned $103,800. Find Mediator Programs Legal Nurse Consultant Salaries According to the Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, many legal nurse consultants earn $125 to $150 per hour. Find Legal Nurse Degree Programs Court Reporter Salaries According to the BLS, court reporters earned a median annual salary of $49,710 in 2008, but the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $83,500. Many salaried court reporters supplement their income by doing additional freelance work. Freelance court reporters are paid per job and receive a per-page fee for transcripts. Find Court Reporter Programs Criminal Justice Salaries for Law Enforcement Agents Police Officer Salaries Police and sheriff's patrol officers had median annual earnings of $51,410 in 2008, but the highest 10 percent earned more than $79,680. As you work up the chain of command at the police department, your salary also increases significantly. Competition is keen for the higher-paying jobs with state and federal agencies and police departments in more affluent areas. Learn more about these and other criminal justice careers. Find Police Officer Programs Federal Law Enforcement Agent Salaries According to the US Department of Justice, ATF, DEA, IRS, and INS, Secret Service Agents and Deputy US Marshals generally enter the salary schedule at anywhere between $26,000 and $50,000, and salary increases from there with seniority and responsibility. Pay is often increased depending on your locality as you are paid more where the cost of living is higher. The BLS reports that the median annual wage for law enforcement agents working for the federal government was $73,170. A criminal justice degree is great preparation for work as a federal law enforcement agent. If time is tight, check out the advantages of a criminal justice online degree. Find Federal Law Enforcement Degree Programs FBI Agent Salaries According to the FBI, new FBI agents earn between $61,100 and $69,900, depending upon the region of the country to which they are assigned. This includes both locality and availability pay adjustments. New special agents moving to more expensive cities may also receive a one-time relocation bonus of over $20,000 to help offset the more expensive real estate and cost of living in certain cities. In other words, special agents can enter federal service with a base salary of $48,159, yet earn over $60,000 a year (with overtime). They can advance to nonsupervisory assignments at a base salary of $75,414, which is worth $94,268 with overtime. FBI supervisory, management, and executive positions pay a base salary of about $89,115 or $104,826 a year, respectively, and totaled $111,394 or $131,033 per year with overtime. Find FBI Agent Programs Private Investigator Salaries Detectives and private investigators earned a median annual salary of $41,760 in 2008, but the highest 10 percent earned more than $76,640. Wages of private detectives vary a lot depending on employer, specialty, and geographic area. Detectives and investigators working for government agencies earned a median income of $62,500. Find Private Investigator Degree Programs Security Guard Salaries Security guards earned median annual wages of $23,460 in 2008, but the highest 10 percent earned more than $39,360. Find Security Degree Programs Criminologist Salaries According to payscale.com, criminologists with one to four years of experience earned between $42,513 and $54,045 per year. Find Criminology Degree Programs Criminal Justice Salaries: Forensics Forensic Science Technician Salaries Forensic scientists earn a median salary of $52,960 per year, according to the BLS. The top 10 percent earned $80,330. Federal salaries are usually at the higher end of the scale. Find Forensics Degree Programs Forensic Psychologist Salaries According to payscale.com, forensic psychologists with one to four years of experience earned between $40,507 and $68,744. With more experience, salaries for forensic psychologists can exceed $100,000. Find Forensic Psychology Degree Programs Corrections Salaries Corrections Officer Salaries Corrections officers earned a median annual salary of $38,380 in 2008, but the highest 10 percent earned more than $64,110. Find Corrections Officer Programs Correctional Administration Salaries Supervisors and managers of corrections officers earned $57,380 in 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $41,740 and $73,630, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $86,970. Find Correctional Administration Degree Programs Correctional Treatment and Probation Officer Salaries Correctional treatment specialists and probation officers earn a median salary of $45,910, but the highest 10 percent earned more than $78,210. Higher wages are generally found in urban areas.  Find Probation Officer Degree Programs
Source: All statistics are as of May 2008 from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, unless otherwise indicated. Criminal Justice Home
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