Correctional Officers and Jailers Salary
Correctional Officers and Jailers in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC make a median of $57,100 a year, or about $27.45 an hour. The range runs from $44K at the entry level to $70K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.02), that's roughly $58,253 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,816/month, about 48.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $57K get you in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal’s Regional Price Parity (98.02). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About correctional officers and jailers
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What this looks like in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal
Correctional officers and jailers pay in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal tracks closely to the national median, $57K locally vs. $59K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,816/month, which is 47.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.02) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for correctional officers and jailers in metros near Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | $45K | $48K |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $47K | $51K |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $52K | $52K |
| Spartanburg | $47K | $51K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Entry-level correctional officers and jailers (10th percentile) start around $44K. Mid-career wages sit at $57K. Top earners bring in $70K or more, a $27K spread from bottom to top.
Correctional Officers and Jailers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Correctional Officers and Jailers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $96K | +64% | 37,860 |
| New Jersey | $95K | +61% | 7,570 |
| Massachusetts | $86K | +46% | 6,360 |
| Oregon | $84K | +42% | 3,650 |
| Washington | $79K | +35% | 6,800 |
| Illinois | $79K | +34% | 12,190 |
| New York | $77K | +30% | 27,770 |
| Nevada | $76K | +30% | 3,240 |
| Wisconsin | $73K | +25% | 7,360 |
| Alaska | $71K | +21% | 850 |
| Hawaii | $70K | +18% | 1,310 |
| Utah | $67K | +14% | 2,050 |
| Minnesota | $66K | +12% | 5,350 |
| Delaware | $66K | +12% | 1,730 |
| Connecticut | $65K | +10% | 3,780 |
| Maryland | $64K | +9% | 6,060 |
| Michigan | $64K | +9% | 8,220 |
| Pennsylvania | $63K | +8% | 15,560 |
| Nebraska | $63K | +8% | 3,250 |
| Colorado | $62K | +5% | 7,290 |
| New Hampshire | $61K | +4% | 680 |
| Ohio | $59K | +1% | 12,610 |
| Kansas | $56K | -5% | 3,380 |
| Arizona | $55K | -7% | 14,230 |
| Wyoming | $55K | -7% | 920 |
| Vermont | $54K | -9% | 450 |
| Idaho | $54K | -9% | 2,370 |
| Iowa | $53K | -10% | 3,440 |
| South Dakota | $53K | -10% | 1,490 |
| West Virginia | $53K | -10% | 2,980 |
| Maine | $53K | -11% | 1,090 |
| Texas | $53K | -11% | 44,700 |
| North Dakota | $52K | -11% | 1,290 |
| Tennessee | $51K | -14% | 6,990 |
| North Carolina | $51K | -14% | 11,900 |
| Virginia | $50K | -15% | 11,270 |
| Florida | $50K | -16% | 24,280 |
| Montana | $49K | -17% | 1,430 |
| Indiana | $48K | -18% | 8,060 |
| New Mexico | $48K | -19% | 2,740 |
| South Carolina | $48K | -19% | 4,870 |
| Georgia | $48K | -19% | 10,640 |
| Alabama | $47K | -21% | 4,970 |
| Oklahoma | $46K | -22% | 3,730 |
| Missouri | $43K | -28% | 6,670 |
| Kentucky | $42K | -28% | 6,770 |
| Arkansas | $40K | -32% | 4,460 |
| Louisiana | $40K | -32% | 7,960 |
| Mississippi | $39K | -34% | 4,040 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track correctional officers and jailers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal numbers change.
Related careers in Public Safety
Frequently asked questions
Can a correctional officers and jailer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $57K, rent takes 47.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,816/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for correctional officers and jailers in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new correctional officers and jailers typically earn — is $44K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,627/month. At HUD’s $1,816/month FMR, rent would take 69% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is correctional officers and jailer a high-paying job in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $57K locally vs. $59K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal compare to the national average for correctional officers and jailers?
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal pays $57K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.02), the purchasing-power equivalent is $58K — below the national median.
How much do correctional officers and jailers make in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC?
The median is $57,100 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,790, and experienced correctional officers and jailers can clear $70,350. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $57K enough to live in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,824/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,816/month, which eats 47.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a correctional officers and jailers salary go in Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal?
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal has a Regional Price Parity of 98.02 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median correctional officers and jailers salary is worth about $58,253 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do correctional officers and jailers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.
