# Criminal Justice (bachelor's degree)

CIP 43.01. Page: https://educationguide.com/degrees/criminal-justice

## Earnings
- Graduates 4 years after finishing: median $55,208 across 584 colleges (middle half $50,063–$59,533); median federal debt $26,000
- All workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's in Criminal Justice And Fire Protection: median $56,702 (all bachelor's $62,049; high school $35,638; Census ACS 2020-2024)

## Jobs graduates hold (ages 25-34)
| Job | Share | U.S. median wage | Growth 2025-35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police Officers | 14% | $76,250 | 3.5% |
| Security Guards And Gambling Surveillance Officers | 3% | $38,050 | 0.9% |
| Correctional Officers And Jailers | 2% | $58,940 | -7.4% |
| Other Managers | 2% | not reported | — |
| Probation Officers And Correctional Treatment Specialists | 2% | $66,270 | 3% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2% | $44,770 | -5.3% |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Retail Sales Workers | 2% | $48,520 | -3.7% |
| Paralegals And Legal Assistants | 2% | $62,890 | -0.3% |

## By state
| State | Graduates 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| AL | $51,092 (12) | $52,473 (131) |
| AR | $48,460 (8) | — |
| AZ | — | $60,915 (247) |
| CA | $58,464 (21) | $60,915 (1102) |
| CO | $56,564 (7) | $61,101 (223) |
| CT | $58,183 (8) | $68,015 (192) |
| DC | $63,339 (4) | — |
| FL | $52,996 (20) | $51,391 (730) |
| GA | $51,074 (24) | $47,226 (345) |
| IA | $57,092 (8) | — |
| IL | $58,390 (22) | $62,946 (506) |
| IN | $52,395 (22) | $52,473 (245) |
| KS | $55,790 (7) | — |
| KY | $47,882 (11) | $43,656 (188) |
| LA | $46,223 (13) | $50,274 (128) |
| MA | $64,292 (18) | $65,991 (449) |
| MD | $60,022 (7) | $67,032 (278) |
| ME | $54,649 (3) | — |
| MI | $57,537 (17) | $55,860 (404) |
| MN | $64,585 (11) | $62,049 (221) |
| MO | $50,902 (18) | $56,977 (214) |
| MS | $49,114 (6) | — |
| NC | $50,799 (28) | $52,503 (465) |
| ND | $58,252 (3) | — |
| NE | $55,485 (7) | — |
| NH | $60,512 (6) | — |
| NJ | $58,108 (17) | $63,680 (640) |
| NM | $49,834 (5) | — |
| NV | — | $50,274 (126) |
| NY | $57,228 (30) | $59,662 (975) |
| OH | $53,480 (29) | $57,276 (391) |
| OK | $51,428 (8) | $47,730 (111) |
| OR | $59,008 (3) | — |
| PA | $56,877 (49) | $61,101 (633) |
| RI | $61,128 (5) | — |
| SC | $49,825 (11) | $50,375 (191) |
| TN | $49,908 (12) | $52,473 (230) |
| TX | $50,809 (39) | $55,860 (1007) |
| UT | $61,100 (4) | — |
| VA | $56,904 (16) | $65,628 (470) |
| VT | $55,465 (3) | — |
| WA | $62,747 (7) | $65,628 (230) |
| WI | $58,762 (13) | $58,657 (175) |
| WV | $49,307 (6) | — |

## Top colleges by graduate earnings (published states)
1. National University (CA): $81,299
2. Marymount University (VA): $73,058
3. Nova Southeastern University (FL): $71,972
4. Herzing University-Orlando (FL): $69,601
5. George Mason University (VA): $69,511
6. Lynn University (FL): $68,824
7. Sonoma State University (CA): $66,892
8. California Baptist University (CA): $65,603
9. California State University-East Bay (CA): $64,835
10. San Francisco State University (CA): $63,764
11. California Lutheran University (CA): $63,433
12. Shenandoah University (VA): $63,290

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#degrees

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0). O*NET data: CC BY 4.0, O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA).