California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) correctional officer salary, 2025
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is a state department: the State Controller's file lists its correctional officers at 35 facilities, so its figures are compared with the state as a whole, not one county. The state's officer title comes in two pay ranges: Range J for entry-level officers and Range K for journey-level officers, as the state's human resources department describes them.2 21,115 people worked as correctional officers for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $124,074, overtime included.
What is the average correctional officer salary at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation?
Official pay range1
$53,748 to $110,436
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest correctional officer title
Based on the 15,779 of 21,115 correctional officers who worked the full year.
Most of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's correctional officers (18,564 of 21,115) hold the title Correctional Officer, Range K, with an official range of $87,840 to $110,436. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $127,831, $17,395 above the top of the range.
- Median total pay
- $114,186
- the middle correctional officer: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $20,222
- average per full-year correctional officer
- Starting salary
- $66,120
- bottom of the Correctional Officer, Range J range
- Average pay rank
- 10th
- of 43 California employers
What does each correctional officer title at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pay?
Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1
- Correctional Officer, Range AFewer than 5
- Correctional Officer, Range BFewer than 5
- Correctional Officer, Range J$81,019
- Correctional Officer, Range C$108,893
- Correctional Officer, Range K$127,831
official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Correctional sergeant, lieutenant and captain pay at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Ranks above officer, kept out of the officer figures on this page. Each rank's name leads to its statewide overview. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each rank's official range. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff, overtime included.1
| Rank | People | Official range | Average total pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Officers | 21,115 | $53,748 to $110,436 | $124,074 |
| Sergeants | 2,537 | $104,352 to $131,220 | $150,010 |
| Lieutenants | 1,160 | $117,204 to $147,480 | $171,012 |
| Captains | 266 | $150,468 to $172,200 | $166,638 |
Full-year sergeants averaged $150,010, $25,936 more than officers.
Does California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pay correctional officers more than other California employers?
Average total pay of full-year correctional officers: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation next to every California employer together.1
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation$124,074
- All employers in California$125,799
Full-year correctional officers at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation earned $1,725 less than the California average.
Where does California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year correctional officers, by average total pay.1
All 43 California employers
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ranks 10th of 43, above the middle employer.
Middle employer: $109,074
Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.
Pension and health cover at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
As reported by the department. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year correctional officer, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- Not reported
- the most common formula among California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's correctional officers
- Employer pension contribution
- $42,499
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $18,190
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about correctional officer pay at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
What is the average correctional officer salary at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation?
Correctional officers at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation who worked the full year earned an average of $124,074 in 2025, overtime included. The middle correctional officer earned $114,186: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its correctional officer titles runs from $53,748 to $110,436.
How much overtime do correctional officers at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation earn?
Full-year correctional officers were paid an average of $20,222 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $8,773: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What is the starting salary for a correctional officer at the CDCR?
$66,120 a year: the bottom of the official range for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Correctional Officer, Range J title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year officers averaged $124,074 in total pay.
How much does a correctional sergeant make at the CDCR?
Full-year sergeants at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation averaged $150,010 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $104,352 to $131,220.
More public salaries at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Sources for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation figures
Every person who held a correctional officer position at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 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. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
- California Department of Human Resources, 2024 Correctional Officer Total Compensation Survey: Alternate Range J for entry-level correctional officers, Alternate Range K for full journey-level correctional officers.