Home » Specialties » CO Careers

Probation Officer Careers

Read about the job of a probation officer, including education, certification, and probation officer salary.

probation officer meeting with client

Probation Officer At a Glance

What you’ll do: Both parole and probation officers supervise offenders, either those placed on probation (people who serve their sentences outside of prison) or parolees (people who are released from prison to serve the remainder of their sentences among the general public—with certain restrictions).

Degree you’ll need: Bachelor’s degree

Certification: Some states require that parole and probation officers take certification tests during or after the completion of training. You’ll need to be a U.S. citizen over 20 years old, not be a convicted felon, and pass several competitive written, oral, psychological, and physical exams.

Median annual salary: $59,860

Job Description

In the U.S., there are probation officer careers at the city, county, state, or federal level.

Depending on the jurisdiction, probation officers may or may not also be parole officers. Although they don’t wear uniforms, probation officers are usually issued a badge and may carry concealed weapons and pepper spray for protection.

Serving as the link to a variety of social services, probation and parole officers perform the following duties:

  • They help their clients find the counseling, education, jobs, and housing necessary to become fully rehabilitated
  • They strive to keep offenders drug- and alcohol-free, and prevent them from recommitting crimes
  • They write reports to provide judges with important information to pronounce an appropriate sentence for each offender
  • Testify at pretrial and parole board hearings to help explain their reports
  • Responsible for investigating any violations of court-ordered sentences

To get a probation officer job, you’ll need excellent oral and written communication skills, and a broad knowledge of the criminal justice system. You’ll gain these skills in all accredited criminal justice degree programs. Officers must also be able to work with an extremely diverse population and wide variety of government agencies and community organizations, and accept the potential hazards of working closely with a criminal population.

Probation Officer Education

To become a probation officer, you’ll need a 4-year bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, social work, psychology, or a related area. Many parole and probation officers have a master’s degree in criminal justice. In addition to their training, federal officers must also have at least two years of work experience.

Probation Office Salary by State

With the added education requirements and required work experience, probation officers generally make more than correctional officers, with the figures below reported by the BLS.

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

National data

Median Salary: $59,860

Projected job growth: 0.1%

10th Percentile: $38,550

25th Percentile: $46,140

75th Percentile: $78,810

90th Percentile: $101,080

Projected job growth: 0.1%

State data

State Median Salary Bottom 10% Top 10%
Alabama $48,760 $36,310 $67,000
Arizona $61,000 $39,560 $79,100
Arkansas $44,420 $37,400 $56,390
California $98,160 $61,480 $133,680
Colorado $61,780 $49,900 $89,480
Connecticut $96,490 $66,000 $110,910
Delaware $54,820 $45,000 $64,410
Florida $42,700 $32,280 $58,220
Georgia $43,220 $32,910 $58,000
Hawaii $61,570 $47,960 $82,940
Idaho $48,390 $39,300 $59,830
Illinois $64,100 $46,940 $94,410
Indiana $51,400 $36,730 $76,640
Iowa $77,400 $50,120 $90,160
Kansas $46,680 $37,980 $58,500
Kentucky $38,750 $34,800 $49,670
Louisiana $53,100 $38,480 $73,550
Maine $63,190 $47,470 $63,190
Maryland $62,630 $47,590 $79,310
Massachusetts $75,760 $47,420 $101,430
Michigan $73,240 $48,840 $73,240
Minnesota $79,220 $48,510 $95,460
Mississippi $37,170 $28,680 $45,140
Missouri $38,750 $34,220 $50,120
Montana $46,930 $36,290 $61,270
Nebraska $52,890 $39,470 $61,230
Nevada $62,280 $47,010 $79,810
New Hampshire $65,690 $50,460 $78,350
New Jersey $77,070 $48,370 $97,830
New Mexico $48,440 $42,220 $59,160
New York $77,840 $58,910 $103,050
North Carolina $45,280 $35,780 $55,640
North Dakota $60,490 $49,800 $81,390
Ohio $54,160 $39,100 $78,470
Oklahoma $47,020 $36,730 $58,540
Oregon $66,320 $47,090 $92,100
Pennsylvania $62,280 $39,690 $84,540
South Carolina $45,570 $41,000 $65,150
South Dakota $52,580 $44,700 $62,110
Tennessee $46,140 $37,450 $59,490
Texas $46,880 $37,360 $63,540
Utah $57,660 $43,490 $69,200
Vermont $70,550 $57,320 $83,430
Virginia $46,280 $37,020 $63,520
Washington $68,430 $54,520 $94,270
West Virginia $45,570 $33,100 $61,050
Wisconsin $50,710 $42,390 $63,190
Wyoming $49,330 $46,860 $62,780

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2022 median salary; projected job growth through 2031. Actual salaries vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

Probation Officer Salaries Across the U.S.

Here are the top-paying cities and metro areas for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists:

Metro Area Median Annual Salary
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $134,990
Bakersfield, CA $118,910
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA $118,910
Salinas, CA $102,460
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $101,930
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH $101,430
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA $101,080
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $97,770
Stockton-Lodi, CA $94,640
St. Cloud, MN $86,590

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 Occupational Employment Statistics.

The salary information listed is based on a national average, unless noted. Actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors. National long-term projections of employment growth may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.