Prison officer

#9Declining

4/5

Key facts

−7.4%jobs, 2025 to 2035

United States

This job is declining in the United States. AI exposure: very low according to the ILO, moderate according to the BLS. Employment change in the United States by 2035: −7.4% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".

The job

Prison guards (ISCO 5413). Prison guards watch over and maintain order among inmates of prisons, reformatories or penitentiaries.

Page built from official classifications (ILO, ESCO); figures cover all the jobs grouped here.

19 job titles linked to this page

Titles from the European ESCO classification. They are also used for search.

correctional youth security officer
corrections officer
detention centre youth worker
detention officer
gaoler
jailer
juvenile correctional officer
juvenile corrections officer
juvenile detention officer
prison guard
prison officer
prison warden
prisoner custody officer
turnkey
young offenders detention officer
young offenders officer
youth correctional officer
youth detention counselor
youth detention worker

What next?

Future-proof jobs that draw on skills close to this one. They are leads to explore, not an assessment of your profile.

Indicative matches: at launch they will come from the skills listed in official occupational directories.

Gauges

Risk 4/5 · High

AI exposureMediumBLS AI exposure category "moderate" (2026), higher than the ILO 2025 index (very low)

Employment outlookSharp declineBLS, 2025-2035 projections (Correctional officers and jailers)

Hiring difficultyNot availableNo US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job

PayAverageBLS, 2025 median annual wage: $58,940

EntryQuickBLS, typical education needed for entry

No US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job: this gauge stays empty. How countries are compared

Sources

AI exposure categories and employment projections, 2025-2035 (XLSX file)Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States · August 2026 · official statistics
Generative AI and Jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposureInternational Labour Organization and NASK · May 2025 · large survey
ESCO, European classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations (job titles and O*NET crosswalk)European Commission · version 1.2 · official statistics
Jobs in 2030: projections by occupational family (summary table)Dares and France Stratégie · March 2022 · official statistics

Checked on 27 October 2026.