Criminal Justice Career Salary

With criminal justice careers increasingly in demand, online students have more choices than ever within this burgeoning field.

From a police officer walking a beat to the highly-specialized skills a homeland security agent requires, criminal justice careers are hot commodities. Fortunately, the salaries that accompany these jobs are substantially gratifying.

As with most professions, increasing your level of education will also increase your paycheck. So whether you’re new to the field of criminal justice, or an established professional seeking an advanced degree, you’ll find that getting your criminal justice degree online will not only elevate your earnings, but give you flexibility within which to complete your chosen degree program.

To give you an idea of criminal justice career earning potential, we’ve listed average annual criminal justice salaries, as assessed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2009 survey, by the top 10 most popular criminal justice careers. You'll also find salaries by years’ experience and by geographic location.

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Ten Most Popular Criminal Justice Career Salaries

Criminal Justice Career	Average Annual Salary
Police or Sheriff Patrol Officer	$65,860
Probation or Correctional Treatment Specialist	$50,500
Paralegal/Legal Assistant	$50,080
Administrative Assistant	$42,940
Supervisor/Manager – Police and Detectives	$78,580
Loss Prevention Manager	$58,780
Security Manager	$66,800
Security Officer	$26,430
Correctional Officer/Jailer	$42,610
Detective/Criminal Investigator	$68,820

Criminal Justice Career Salary by Years Experience

Years of Experience	Median Salary
0 to 1 year	$34,207
1 to 4 years	$38,516
5 to 9 years	$47,250
10 to 19 years	$54,074
20 years or more	$56,301

Criminal Justice Career Salary by City

Geographic Location – City	Median Salary
Chicago	$54,840
Houston	$49,060
New York	$60,920
Dallas	$59,630
Atlanta	$52,270
Washington, DC	$61,060
Philadelphia	$54,080

So, whether you're looking for a career in forensics, law enforcement, as a paralegal or in homeland security, remember that increasing your education and getting a degree will not only help you move up the career ladder but increase your criminal justice career salary as well.

_{Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010.}