California correctional officer salaries by employer, 2025

28,969 people worked as correctional officers for 46 state departments, counties and cities in California in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $125,799, overtime included.

What is the average correctional officer salary in California?

Lowest-paying employer

$80,004

Madera County
County jails

Average total pay, full-year California correctional officers1

$125,799

average base pay $94,783

Highest-paying employer

$207,897

Santa Clara County
County jails

Highest- and lowest-paying among the 40 employers with at least 10 full-year officers. The lists below include every employer with at least 5.

Correctional officers
28,969
21,618 of them worked the full year
Employers
46
46 with 5 or more officers, in 43 counties
Median total pay
$114,840
the middle correctional officer: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$22,549
average per full-year correctional officer

Employers also paid an average of $42,388 into pensions and $17,878 for health, dental and vision cover per full-year correctional officer, on top of wages.1

What stands out in California correctional officer pay

Which California employers pay correctional officers the most?

By average total pay of full-year officers, among employers with at least 5 of them.

Highest average total pay

  1. Santa Clara CountyCounty jails
    629 full-year officers    $207,897
  2. San Mateo CountyCounty jails
    149 full-year officers    $201,591
  3. Monterey CountyCounty jails
    138 full-year officers    $156,445
  4. Santa Barbara CountyCounty jails
    156 full-year officers    $156,036
  5. Sonoma CountyCounty jails
    130 full-year officers    $148,808
  6. Napa CountyCounty jails
    55 full-year officers    $147,709
  7. Santa Cruz CountyCounty jails
    80 full-year officers    $139,964
  8. San Joaquin CountyCounty jails
    187 full-year officers    $137,009
  9. San Diego CountyCounty jails
    875 full-year officers    $133,298
  10. California Department of Corrections and RehabilitationState department, state prisons
    15,779 full-year officers    $124,074

California average, $125,799

Highest correctional officer salaries in California: the top employers by total pay, base pay and starting salary

Highest correctional officer starting salaries in California: every employer compared

Compare correctional officer pay at every California employer

Official pay range across each employer's correctional officer titles, and what full-year officers earned. Sergeants and higher ranks aren't in these figures. Click a column to sort it.

Showing 1 to 25 of 46 employers, highest average total pay first.

Santa Clara CountySanta Clara CountySanta Clara$207,897$49,577$117,865 to $143,2757172.7% at 57
San Mateo CountySan Mateo CountySan Mateo$201,591$62,260$101,442 to $126,8181732.7% at 57
Monterey CountyMonterey CountyMonterey$156,445$36,068$94,110 to $128,5341692.7% at 57
Santa Barbara CountySanta Barbara CountySanta Barbara$156,036$49,928$90,865 to $115,1502132.7% at 57
Sonoma CountySonoma CountySonoma$148,808$25,277$82,379 to $125,707188Not reported
Napa CountyNapa CountyNapa$147,709$27,410$91,709 to $119,201762% at 62
Santa Cruz CountySanta Cruz CountySanta Cruz$139,964$30,310$81,661 to $109,2211232.7% at 57
San Joaquin CountySan Joaquin CountySan Joaquin$137,009$44,934$71,242 to $86,5952352.7% at 57
San Diego CountySan Diego CountySan Diego$133,298$30,236$63,803 to $114,4349722.5% at 57
California Department of Corrections and RehabilitationStatewideStatewide$124,074$20,222$53,748 to $110,43621,115Not reported
California Correctional Health Care ServicesStatewideStatewide$122,852$21,750$66,120 to $110,436997Not reported
Solano CountySolano CountySolano$121,493$15,260$65,493 to $99,4612712% at 57
Santa AnaOrange CountyOrange$120,002$17,018$80,508 to $97,872602% at 62
Placer CountyPlacer CountyPlacer$118,046$15,141$72,530 to $99,8611372.7% at 57
San Benito CountySan Benito CountySan Benito$117,476$30,663$64,251 to $94,986242.7% at 57
Yolo CountyYolo CountyYolo$117,379$20,367$69,805 to $91,0421072.7% at 57
Kern CountyKern CountyKern$115,670$23,657$75,335 to $99,4912972% at 50
San Luis Obispo CountySan Luis Obispo CountySan Luis Obispo$114,892$22,356$82,056 to $104,7071162.7% at 57
Butte CountyButte CountyButte$112,977$27,760$62,254 to $87,672832.7% at 57
Inyo CountyInyo CountyInyo$112,503$14,746$57,914 to $92,410212% at 62
Nevada CountyNevada CountyNevada$109,220$28,060$61,809 to $83,371562.7% at 57
Amador CountyAmador CountyAmador$109,074$22,324$59,051 to $79,643252% at 57
Fresno CountyFresno CountyFresno$106,340$20,963$55,458 to $92,8725342.5% at 55
Shasta CountyShasta CountyShasta$104,112$27,990$56,726 to $76,014522% at 57
Mendocino CountyMendocino CountyMendocino$104,087$30,192$59,883 to $85,155492.7% at 57

"Fewer than 5": fewer than 5 officers worked the full year, too few for an average. "Not reported": the employer reported no pay range, so we can't tell who worked the full year. Employers with fewer than 5 officers aren't listed.

California correctional officer pay by rank: officer, sergeant, lieutenant and captain

Every state prison and county jail employer in California, 2025. Each rank leads to its own page. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each rank's official range. Pay: full-year staff, overtime included.1

RankPositionsOfficial rangeAverage total payAverage overtime
Officers28,969Varies by employer$125,799$22,549
Sergeants3,320$104,352 to $131,220$152,162$27,187
Lieutenants1,339$117,204 to $147,480$171,563$26,634
Captains301$150,468 to $172,200$171,029$1,111

Which California jobs count as correctional officers here, and which don't?

The State Controller's files list every public job by title. We decided each custody title by hand, from its name and department.

Counted as correctional officers

  • Correctional officers in state prisons. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Correctional Officer, in each of its pay ranges, including officers assigned to Correctional Health Care Services.
  • Custody officers in county jails. Correctional Officer, Correctional Deputy, Sheriff's Correctional Officer, Custody Deputy and Detentions Deputy, as each county names the job, at every level.
  • Jail deputies. Where a county staffs its jails with deputy sheriffs whose title names the jail assignment (San Diego, Monterey, Shasta, Lake and Tuolumne counties, for example), those deputies count as its correctional officers, and the county's page says so. San Diego's title, Deputy Sheriff - Detentions/Court Services, covers court security too.
  • Correctional officers at city-run jails. Santa Ana and Taft report Correctional Officer titles.

Shown separately or left out

  • Sergeants, lieutenants and captains. In the pay by rank table above, each with its own page, not in the officer figures.
  • Deputy sheriffs whose title doesn't name the jail. A plain Deputy Sheriff title doesn't say whether the deputy works in the jail or on patrol, so those deputies aren't counted. Los Angeles County, for example, reports no correctional officer or jail deputy titles, so it has no page here.
  • Probation and juvenile corrections officers. They work for county probation departments, in juvenile halls and camps.
  • Custody assistants and specialists, and city police jailers. Jail support titles and police department jails.
  • Academy cadets, extra-help and temporary officers, wardens and other prison staff. Counselors, nurses, cooks, teachers and trades.

Every California employer with a correctional officer pay page, by county

46 employers with at least 5 officers. Open a county to see its employers. Employers without an average had fewer than 5 full-year officers, or their records don't show who worked the full year. The map shades each county by the average total pay of full-year officers across its employers; click a county to open its list.

Average total pay, full-year correctional officers, 2025under $91,000$91,000 to $103,000$103,000 to $114,000$114,000 to $137,000$137,000 or moreLeft outNo employer in the dataEach shade holds about a fifth of the counties. Outlines: US Census Bureau.

Questions about correctional officer pay in California

How much do correctional officers make in California?

Full-year correctional officers in California's state prisons and county jails earned an average of $125,799 in 2025, including an average of $22,549 in overtime. The middle officer earned $114,840: half earned more, half less.

How much does a CDCR correctional officer make?

Full-year correctional officers at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation averaged $124,074 in 2025, overtime included: $20,222 of it overtime. 21,115 people held a CDCR officer title during the year.

Which California employer pays correctional officers the most?

Among employers with at least 10 full-year officers, Santa Clara County has the highest average total pay, $207,897, followed by San Mateo County ($201,591) and Monterey County ($156,445).

How much do correctional sergeants and lieutenants make in California?

Full-year correctional sergeants averaged $152,162, lieutenants averaged $171,563 and captains averaged $171,029 in 2025, against $125,799 for officers.

Which California employers have the most correctional officers?

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (21,115 officers), Riverside County (1,095) and California Correctional Health Care Services (997), counting officer positions held in 2025, without sergeants and higher ranks.

Sources for the California correctional officer figures

Every person who held a correctional officer position at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formulas and employer contributions as reported by each city, county and special district.

How we read the data