Careers / Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$66,270

United States, 2025

Employment

89,390

United States, 2025

Typical education

Bachelor's Degree

Job Zone 4

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender, including conditional release and education and employment stipulations.

O*NET code
21-1092.00
Job zone
4
Experience required
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

Typical tasks

  • Prepare and maintain case folder for each assigned inmate or offender.
  • Gather information about offenders' backgrounds by talking to offenders, their families and friends, and other people who have relevant information.
  • Interview probationers and parolees regularly to evaluate their progress in accomplishing goals and maintaining the terms specified in their probation contracts and rehabilitation plans.
  • Discuss with offenders how such issues as drug and alcohol abuse and anger management problems might have played roles in their criminal behavior.
  • Supervise people on community-based sentences, such as electronically monitored home detention, and provide field supervision of probationers by conducting curfew checks or visits to home, work, or school.
  • Investigate alleged parole violations, using interviews, surveillance, and search and seizure.
  • Recommend remedial action or initiate court action in response to noncompliance with terms of probation or parole.
  • Arrange for medical, mental health, or substance abuse treatment services according to individual needs or court orders.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$46,840
10th
$54,250
25th
$66,270
Median
$84,780
75th
$107,790
90th

10th percentile

$46,840

25th percentile

$54,250

75th percentile

$84,780

90th percentile

$107,790

Most important skills

  • Active Listening4.0
  • Social Perceptiveness4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Writing3.8
  • Monitoring3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.6
  • Time Management3.4
  • Active Learning3.4
  • Coordination3.1

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 16 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

16

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Social Perceptiveness4.04.4Not selected4.4
Active Listening4.04.0Not selected4.0
Speaking4.04.0Not selected4.0
Reading Comprehension3.94.1Not selected4.1
Critical Thinking3.94.0Not selected4.0
Writing3.83.9Not selected3.9
Monitoring3.83.9Not selected3.9
Judgment and Decision Making3.63.8Not selected3.8
Complex Problem Solving3.83.4Not selected3.4
Coordination3.13.8Not selected3.8
Persuasion3.13.8Not selected3.8
Time Management3.43.4Not selected3.4
Active Learning3.43.3Not selected3.3
Service Orientation3.03.5Not selected3.5
Negotiation3.13.1Not selected3.1
Instructing3.03.0Not selected3.0

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
San Jose, CA$144,4105602025
San Francisco, CA$135,8908302025
Los Angeles, CA$108,1504,7002025
Rochester, MN$105,350702025
St. Cloud, MN$103,770602025
CA$103,64013,9002025
Sacramento, CA$100,6901,2502025
Bellingham, WA$98,940402025
Boston, MA$98,1006402025
San Luis Obispo, CA$97,4101402025
CT$97,3501,2002025
Waterbury, CT$97,3501902025
Hartford, CT$97,3504802025
Stockton, CA$97,0702402025
Riverside, CA$96,9701,2602025
MA$94,5901,2002025
Oxnard, CA$93,5502102025
Bakersfield, CA$92,8805302025
Waterloo, IA$90,230802025
Medford, OR$87,780602025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.