Criminal Justice Salaries

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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. 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 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.

Legal Salaries

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.

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Legal Secretary Salaries

Legal secretaries earned a median salary of $40,550 in 2006.

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Law Office Manager Salaries

Median annual earnings of law office managers were $37,240 in May 2006, with the middle 50 percent earning between $30,240 and $46,160. Some earned considerably more depending on seniority and responsibilities.

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Mediator Salaries

Mediators with a JD earned between $82,780 and $109,490.

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Legal Nurse Consultant Salaries

According to the Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, many legal nurse consultants charge $125 to $150 per hour.

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Court Reporter Salaries

Court reporters earn a median salary of $50,380. 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.

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Law Enforcement Salaries

Police Officer Salaries

Police and sheriff's patrol officers had median annual earnings of $50,330 at the local level, and $55,780 at the state level in 2006. Competition is keen for the higher-paying jobs with state and federal agencies and police departments in more affluent areas.

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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.

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FBI Agent Salaries

In 2006, FBI agents entered federal service at a base salary of $48,159, yet earned about $60,199 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.

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Private Investigator Salaries

Private detectives and investigators earned a median salary of $42,660 annually in 2006. Detectives and investigators working for government agencies earned a median income of $62,500.

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