Kern County correctional officer salary, 2025

297 people worked as correctional officers for Kern County in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $115,670, overtime included.

What is the average correctional officer salary at Kern County?

Official pay range1

$75,335 to $99,491

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest correctional officer title

Average total pay, full-year correctional officers1

$115,670

average base pay $81,796

Based on the 217 of 297 correctional officers who worked the full year.

Most of Kern County's correctional officers (269 of 297) hold the title Sheriff's Detentions Deputy, with an official salary of $75,335. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $112,522, $37,187 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$112,692
the middle correctional officer: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$23,657
average per full-year correctional officer
Starting salary
Not reported
no official range reported
Average pay rank
17th
of 43 California employers

What does each correctional officer title at Kern County 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

  1. Sheriff's Detentions Deputy$75,335 · 269 people
    $112,522
  2. Sheriff's Detentions Senior Deputy$99,491 · 28 people
    $138,795

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Correctional sergeant and lieutenant pay at Kern County

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

RankPeopleOfficial rangeAverage total pay
Officers297$75,335 to $99,491$115,670
Sergeants25$106,718$146,262
Lieutenants11$130,338$145,860

Full-year sergeants averaged $146,262, $30,592 more than officers.

Does Kern County pay correctional officers more than other employers in Kern County?

Average total pay of full-year correctional officers: Kern County next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1

Full-year correctional officers at Kern County earned $1,855 more than the Kern County average and $10,129 less than the California average.

Average correctional officer pay in Kern County compared to nearby counties

Average total pay of full-year correctional officers across all employers in each county that borders Kern County, and how much more or less it pays.1

Kern County Shades match the state map.

Where does Kern County rank among California employers?

Every employer with at least 5 full-year correctional officers, by average total pay.1

All 43 California employers

Kern County ranks 17th of 43, above the middle employer.

Kern County
$100k$150k$200k

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 Kern County

As reported by the county. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year correctional officer, on top of wages.1

Pension formula
2% at 50
the most common formula among Kern County's correctional officers
Employer pension contribution
$77,127
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$11,620
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about correctional officer pay at Kern County

What is the average correctional officer salary at Kern County?

Correctional officers at Kern County who worked the full year earned an average of $115,670 in 2025, overtime included. The middle correctional officer earned $112,692: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its correctional officer titles runs from $75,335 to $99,491.

How much overtime do correctional officers at Kern County earn?

Full-year correctional officers were paid an average of $23,657 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $19,460: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

How much does a correctional sergeant make at Kern County?

Full-year sergeants at Kern County averaged $146,262 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $106,718 to $106,718.

What pension do correctional officers at Kern County get?

The most common pension formula among Kern County's correctional officers is 2% at 50, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $77,127 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Kern County

Sources for the Kern County figures

Every person who held a correctional officer position at Kern County 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.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Kern County.

How we read the data