Criminal Justice degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in criminal justice earn a median $55,208 four years after finishing, across 584 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in criminal justice and fire protection earn $56,702, $5,347 less than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is police officers (14%).
Median across 584 colleges; middle half $50,063–$59,533.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $39,102–$80,438. 12,383 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Criminal Justice And Fire Protection"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$21,064/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs criminal justice graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in criminal justice and fire protection actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Job | Share of graduates | U.S. median wage | Jobs growth 2025-35 | Typical entry | Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | High school diploma or equivalent | RCS |
| Other Managers | 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Probation Officers And Correctional Treatment Specialists | 2% | $66,270 | +3.0% | Bachelor's degree | SCE |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2% | $44,770 | -5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent | CES |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Retail Sales Workers | 2% | $48,520 | -3.7% | High school diploma or equivalent | ECS |
| Paralegals And Legal Assistants | 2% | $62,890 | -0.3% | Associate's degree | CIE |
These 8 jobs account for 30% of employed graduates: people with this degree spread across many kinds of work.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).
Criminal Justice earnings by state
Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.
| State | Graduates, 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $51,092 (12) | $52,473 (131) |
| Arizona | — | $60,915 (247) |
| Arkansas | $48,460 (8) | — |
| California | $58,464 (21) | $60,915 (1,102) |
| Colorado | $56,564 (7) | $61,101 (223) |
| Connecticut | $58,183 (8) | $68,015 (192) |
| District of Columbia | $63,339 (4) | — |
| Florida | $52,996 (20) | $51,391 (730) |
| Georgia | $51,074 (24) | $47,226 (345) |
| Illinois | $58,390 (22) | $62,946 (506) |
| Indiana | $52,395 (22) | $52,473 (245) |
| Iowa | $57,092 (8) | — |
| Kansas | $55,790 (7) | — |
| Kentucky | $47,882 (11) | $43,656 (188) |
| Louisiana | $46,223 (13) | $50,274 (128) |
| Maine | $54,649 (3) | — |
| Maryland | $60,022 (7) | $67,032 (278) |
| Massachusetts | $64,292 (18) | $65,991 (449) |
| Michigan | $57,537 (17) | $55,860 (404) |
| Minnesota | $64,585 (11) | $62,049 (221) |
| Mississippi | $49,114 (6) | — |
| Missouri | $50,902 (18) | $56,977 (214) |
| Nebraska | $55,485 (7) | — |
| Nevada | — | $50,274 (126) |
| New Hampshire | $60,512 (6) | — |
| New Jersey | $58,108 (17) | $63,680 (640) |
| New Mexico | $49,834 (5) | — |
| New York | $57,228 (30) | $59,662 (975) |
| North Carolina | $50,799 (28) | $52,503 (465) |
| North Dakota | $58,252 (3) | — |
| Ohio | $53,480 (29) | $57,276 (391) |
| Oklahoma | $51,428 (8) | $47,730 (111) |
| Oregon | $59,008 (3) | — |
| Pennsylvania | $56,877 (49) | $61,101 (633) |
| Rhode Island | $61,128 (5) | — |
| South Carolina | $49,825 (11) | $50,375 (191) |
| Tennessee | $49,908 (12) | $52,473 (230) |
| Texas | $50,809 (39) | $55,860 (1,007) |
| Utah | $61,100 (4) | — |
| Vermont | $55,465 (3) | — |
| Virginia | $56,904 (16) | $65,628 (470) |
| Washington | $62,747 (7) | $65,628 (230) |
| West Virginia | $49,307 (6) | — |
| Wisconsin | $58,762 (13) | $58,657 (175) |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where criminal justice graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 27 in Florida, 16 in Virginia, 27 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.
| # | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National UniversityCA | $81,299 | $28,014 |
| 2 | Marymount UniversityVA | $73,058 | $25,000 |
| 3 | Nova Southeastern UniversityFL | $71,972 | — |
| 4 | Herzing University-OrlandoFL | $69,601 | $28,399 |
| 5 | George Mason UniversityVA | $69,511 | $20,761 |
| 6 | Lynn UniversityFL | $68,824 | $19,500 |
| 7 | Sonoma State UniversityCA | $66,892 | $20,000 |
| 8 | California Baptist UniversityCA | $65,603 | $26,372 |
| 9 | California State University-East BayCA | $64,835 | $15,500 |
| 10 | San Francisco State UniversityCA | $63,764 | $13,518 |
| 11 | California Lutheran UniversityCA | $63,433 | $20,000 |
| 12 | Shenandoah UniversityVA | $63,290 | $25,810 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Criminal Justice degree questions
How much do Criminal Justice graduates make?
Criminal Justice graduates earn a median $55,208 four years after finishing, across 584 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $50,063 to $59,533; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in criminal justice and fire protection, the median is $56,702 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Criminal Justice degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in criminal justice and fire protection earn a median $56,702: $5,347 less than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $21,064 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Criminal Justice graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in criminal justice and fire protection, the most common jobs are police officers (14%), security guards and gambling surveillance officers (3%), correctional officers and jailers (2%). Police Officers earn a U.S. median $76,250.
How much do Criminal Justice graduates earn in Florida?
Across 20 Florida colleges reporting, Criminal Justice graduates earn a median $52,996 four years after graduating; at ages 25-34, Floridians with this field of degree earn $51,391.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “Criminal Justice degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/criminal-justice.