Explore hundreds of exciting law enforcement and criminal justice careers and occupations.
Learn the qualities and attributes that make law enforcement and criminal justice professionals among the best of the best.
Explore the 5 most popular careers in criminal justice based on total number of professionals employed in each field and new job opportunities.
Top careers share some common characteristics. However, law enforcement and criminal justice offer few benefits not readily found in other careers.
You don't have to be a lawyer to work at a law firm. Explore all the job opportunities available at law firms across the United States.
Explore the reationship between the fields of criminal justice and criminology.
4 proven steps to finding the perfect career in criminal justice or criminology.
Learn about law enforcement careers at with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Do You Really Need a Degree?
Explore the various degree options for a career in law enforcement or criminal justice.
This section of our site offers various career resources for aspiring criminal justice students and law enforcement professionals including career profiles, employment statistics, education programs, salary figures and employment projections. Aside from a few ads, the resources on this page are non-commercial in nature. If you have any other criminal justice career resources you think would be of benefit to our visitors please let use know.
To learn more about advancing your career in criminal justice and law enforcement select a topic below.
The terms criminal justice and criminology are often used interchangeably, but the two fields are different. Criminology explores the anatomy of crime and criminal behavior, including its causes, consequences and costs. Criminal justice, refers specifically to the societal system(s) established to deal with crime, with focus on the detection of crime, detaining of criminals, and criminal prosecution and punishment. There are three main components of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, the courts and corrections. Students pursuing career opportunities in criminal justice will have the opportunity to study the different components of criminal justice system. Students pursuing a career as criminologist, will study the backgrounds, psychology, behavioral patterns and sociological trends of criminals. While both fields are different, criminologists and criminal justice professionals work together to fight the criminal element.
Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice are diverse career fields--providing hundreds of exciting job opportunities both domestic and abroad. The first step to launching a successful career in law enforcement is to explore the different career options available. Below you can explore a large variety of criminal justice jobs organized by category.
Criminology is the study of the anatomy of a crime, specifically its causes, consequences and costs.
The primary purpose of the courts is to determine the guilt or innocence of suspected criminals and pass sentencing.
The U.S. corrections system is responsible for enforcing punishments and carrying out sentencing as mandated by the courts. The corrections system is made up of incarceration, probation and parole.
Employment statistics updated with the latest data as of 2019.
Protective services occupations include law enforcement and criminal justice occupations such as Police and Detectives, Detectives and Criminal Investigators, Correctional Officers, Jailers, Sheriffs Security Guards, Private Detectives and Investigators, and various other protective service professionals.
The industries that employ the largest number of law enforcement, criminal justice and protective service professionals in 2019 include those listed in the following table.
The map below shows the number of protective service professionals by state throughout the United States. Protective service occupations include both law enforcement and criminal justice professionals.
The states that employ the largest number of protective service and law enforcement professionals in 2019 are listed in the table below.
The location quotient is the ratio of the concentration of protective services professionals employed in a given state to the national average concentration. A location quotient that is less than one indicates the occupation has a greater share of employment than average.
The map below shows the location quotient for protective service service occupations by state as of 2019.
The states that have the highest location quotient and concentration of protective services jobs in 2019 are listed in the following table.
Salary and wages for protective service and law enforcement professionals is influenced by several factors: level of education, industry, specialty and location. All things being equal, location is one of the biggest factors influencing salary and wage level for law enforcement workers. For example, a corrections office working in California on average can expect to make about $60,000 a year. That same worker, handling the same responsibility, in Oklahoma will make about $35,000 a year. When considering where you want to work as a law enforcement professional, average compensation level for each state is something you'll want to consider.
The table below shows the national percentile wage estimates in 2019 for protective service and law enforcement professionals in the United States.
The table below shows the states that offer the highest wage and compensation level for protective service and law enforcement professionals.
The table below shows the top metropolitan areas in the United States offering highest wage and compensation level for protective service and law enforcement professionals in 2019. Again, wage level shown below is the Median - about 50% of professionals make less than the median wage, while 50% make more.
The table below shows the nonmetropolitan areas with the highest pay in 2018 for protective service and law enforcement professionals.
The table below shows the top metropolitan areas in the United States offering highest wage and compensation level for protective service and law enforcement professionals in 2013. Again, wage level shown below is the median.
The table below shows the nonmetropolitan areas with the highest pay in 2013 for protective service and law enforcement professionals.
Employment opportunities for criminal justice and law enforcement professionals are expected to grow as fast as the average for all U.S. occupations over the next decade. Jobs will be most plentiful for those professionals who hold a master's degree in a discipline with direct industry application. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies will be looking for individuals with advanced skills and training in computer science, forensics, psychology, cybercrimes, accounting, finance and foreign languages. Earning a master's or PhD will set job seekers apart from other candidates. Most entry-level positions will require a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution.
Between 2016 and 2026 job growth will average roughly 5% per year for all protect service, law enforcement and criminal justice occupations. Opportunities will be most plentiful police and police detectives, private investigators and private security professionals. Federal agencies, including the FBI, CIA and DEA, will continue to seek new recruits but competition for career positions with these agencies will be intense. To qualify for top positions applicants must have specialized training and unique skills that set them apart from the competition.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the job growth for the following law enforcement careers between 2016 and 2026.
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The field of criminal justice is become more and more competitive. In order to compete for top positions, job candidates should possess at minimum a bachelor's degree. However, competitive positions and technical positions often require a master's degree.