Public Safety salaries
Protective service careers keep people safe, including police, firefighters, correctional officers, and security staff.
Below are all 22 public safety occupations the BLS tracks, ranked by median annual pay for May 2024. The best paid, first-line supervisors of police and detectives, earns a median of $105,980 a year.
| # | Job | Median annual | Hourly | Typical education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $105,980 | $50.95 | High school diploma or equivalent | 153,130 |
| 2 | Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $93,580 | $44.99 | High school diploma or equivalent | 110,790 |
| 3 | First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $92,430 | $44.44 | Postsecondary nondegree award | 93,680 |
| 4 | Transit and Railroad Police | $82,320 | $39.58 | High school diploma or equivalent | 3,000 |
| 5 | Fire Inspectors and Investigators | $78,060 | $37.53 | Postsecondary nondegree award | 14,050 |
| 6 | First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | $76,310 | $36.69 | High school diploma or equivalent | 53,390 |
| 7 | Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $76,290 | $36.68 | High school diploma or equivalent | 666,990 |
| 8 | Fish and Game Wardens | $68,180 | $32.78 | Bachelor's degree | 6,420 |
| 9 | Transportation Security Screeners | $63,360 | $30.46 | High school diploma or equivalent | 46,340 |
| 10 | Firefighters | $59,530 | $28.62 | Postsecondary nondegree award | 332,240 |
| 11 | First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers | $58,610 | $28.18 | High school diploma or equivalent | 70,310 |
| 12 | Correctional Officers and Jailers | $57,970 | $27.87 | High school diploma or equivalent | 365,380 |
| 13 | Bailiffs | $57,050 | $27.43 | High school diploma or equivalent | 16,910 |
| 14 | Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists | $52,380 | $25.19 | High school diploma or equivalent | 2,780 |
| 15 | Private Detectives and Investigators | $52,370 | $25.18 | High school diploma or equivalent | 38,700 |
| 16 | Parking Enforcement Workers | $47,150 | $22.67 | High school diploma or equivalent | 7,770 |
| 17 | Animal Control Workers | $45,830 | $22.03 | High school diploma or equivalent | 11,790 |
| 18 | Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators | $43,900 | $21.11 | High school diploma or equivalent | 10,000 |
| 19 | Security Guards | $38,370 | $18.45 | High school diploma or equivalent | 1,241,770 |
| 20 | Crossing Guards and Flaggers | $37,700 | $18.13 | No formal educational credential | 90,180 |
| 21 | School Bus Monitors | $34,980 | $16.82 | High school diploma or equivalent | 72,140 |
| 22 | Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | $33,720 | $16.21 | No formal educational credential | 143,590 |
Ranked by median annual wage. National estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2024.
Public Safety salary FAQ
What is the highest paying public safety job?
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives top the public safety field at a median of $105,980 a year, based on BLS data for May 2024.
How much do public safety jobs pay on average?
Pay varies widely across the 22 occupations in this field. The middle of the list, correctional officers and jailers, sits at a median of $57,970 a year. The overall U.S. median across all jobs is $49,500.