Does an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections Pay Off? Earnings, Debt & Schools

Other degree levels for this field: Bachelor's degrees · Certificates and diplomas · Master's degrees

This page shows what graduates with an associate degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections earn four years after graduating, what they typically owe, the schools that report these figures (listed alphabetically), and the occupations linked to this field by the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk. It covers 366 reporting units (schools, or groups of campuses that report together) with these figures.

Median earnings, 4 years after graduation

$46,706

All graduates nationally

Middle half of graduates nationally

$31,475–$63,659

25th to 75th percentile

Typical federal debt of graduates

$12,100

Median across reporting units

Schools reporting earnings for Criminal Justice and Corrections graduates

Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank schools. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group. Median earnings four years after graduation, associate degree, for programs with at least 30 graduates measured (219 reporting units; campuses that share one federal school ID report together and appear once). Schools with fewer graduates in the major, or whose figure the Department of Education withholds, are not listed.

School	State	Median earnings, 4 years after	Graduates measured
Alexandria Technical & Community College	MN	$67,066	104
Amarillo College	TX	$44,946	63
American InterContinental University System (reported together with 2 other campuses under one federal school ID)	AZ	$38,683	229
American Public University System	WV	$55,726	58
Antelope Valley Community College District	CA	$41,827	86
Arizona Western College	AZ	$44,459	34
Arkansas Tech University	AR	$48,859	66
ASA College	NY	$37,090	187
Asnuntuck Community College (reported together with 11 other campuses under one federal school ID)	CT	$47,717	201
Atlantic Cape Community College	NJ	$52,562	35
Austin Community College District	TX	$45,940	99
Baker College	MI	$43,240	66
Bakersfield College	CA	$40,694	32
Berkeley College-New York	NY	$46,055	137
Berkeley College-Woodland Park	NJ	$41,755	146
Bethel University	TN	$57,864	32
Blackhawk Technical College	WI	$49,012	43
Blinn College District	TX	$48,170	35
Bossier Parish Community College	LA	$32,743	41
Bristol Community College	MA	$49,454	90
Brookdale Community College	NJ	$49,932	142
Brookline College-Albuquerque (reported together with 3 other campuses under one federal school ID)	NM	$37,865	69
Broward College	FL	$44,829	30
Bryant & Stratton College-Albany (reported together with 7 other campuses under one federal school ID)	NY	$39,586	228
Bucks County Community College	PA	$44,600	46
Bunker Hill Community College	MA	$56,211	57
Butte College	CA	$46,677	81
Camden County College	NJ	$43,905	62
Central Maine Community College	ME	$56,407	30
Central New Mexico Community College	NM	$48,048	34
Century College	MN	$62,166	84
Chippewa Valley Technical College	WI	$60,431	59
Clinton Community College	NY	$45,627	37
Coalinga College	CA	$45,044	77
Cochise County Community College District	AZ	$37,268	49
College of San Mateo	CA	$55,857	44
College of Southern Idaho	ID	$50,579	35
College of Southern Nevada	NV	$46,588	139
College of the Canyons	CA	$54,179	35
College of the Desert	CA	$44,704	54
College of the Sequoias	CA	$43,425	94
College of Western Idaho	ID	$49,622	50
Columbia College	MO	$52,148	65
Columbia Southern University	AL	$66,000	157
Columbus State Community College	OH	$53,695	72
Community College of Allegheny County	PA	$38,706	45
Community College of Baltimore County	MD	$54,798	38
Community College of Philadelphia	PA	$46,155	98
Community College of Rhode Island	RI	$49,025	110
County College of Morris	NJ	$48,293	75
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College	NY	$47,356	753
CUNY Bronx Community College	NY	$43,525	233
CUNY Hostos Community College	NY	$43,609	150
CUNY Kingsborough Community College	NY	$45,870	232
CUNY LaGuardia Community College	NY	$46,931	374
CUNY Queensborough Community College	NY	$49,290	279
Cuyahoga Community College District	OH	$45,590	62
Dallas College	TX	$48,751	150
De Anza College	CA	$56,754	30
Del Mar College	TX	$53,377	34
Delaware Technical Community College-Terry	DE	$51,745	83
Delgado Community College	LA	$35,739	67
Delta College	MI	$54,029	49
Des Moines Area Community College	IA	$50,877	77
Diablo Valley College	CA	$59,444	33
Dutchess Community College	NY	$52,804	56
East Los Angeles College	CA	$39,591	41
El Paso Community College	TX	$41,169	257
Erie Community College	NY	$44,224	102
Essex County College	NJ	$44,621	73
Ferris State University	MI	$54,494	131
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College	MN	$63,056	48
Fox Valley Technical College	WI	$60,438	52
Fresno City College	CA	$46,395	73
Fulton-Montgomery Community College	NY	$48,595	31
Gateway Technical College	WI	$51,666	51
Genesee Community College	NY	$47,097	52
Georgia Military College	GA	$40,137	72
Grand Rapids Community College	MI	$64,550	79
Guilford Technical Community College	NC	$46,802	38
Harcum College	PA	$41,827	30
Harrisburg Area Community College	PA	$49,845	104
Hawkeye Community College	IA	$62,551	42
Henry Ford College	MI	$52,172	30
Herkimer County Community College	NY	$44,170	41
Herzing University-Akron (reported together with 7 other campuses under one federal school ID)	OH	$54,084	42
Hillsborough Community College	FL	$47,205	134
Holyoke Community College	MA	$46,250	61
Hudson County Community College	NJ	$53,471	32
Hudson Valley Community College	NY	$47,627	117
Hussian College-Daymar College Clarksville (reported together with 4 other campuses under one federal school ID)	TN	$41,603	38
Imperial Valley College	CA	$41,312	51
Indian River State College	FL	$51,745	44
Indiana Institute of Technology (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	IN	$43,796	69
Institute of Technology	CA	$39,378	74
Inver Hills Community College	MN	$64,621	50
Iowa Central Community College	IA	$45,922	33
Itawamba Community College	MS	$36,652	35
Ivy Tech Community College	IN	$43,252	214
Jackson College	MI	$54,164	31
Jamestown Community College	NY	$41,006	57
Jefferson College	MO	$64,131	33
Jefferson Community College	NY	$43,424	39
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale	FL	$41,540	128
Lackawanna College	PA	$49,310	48
Laredo College	TX	$40,241	104
Lehigh Carbon Community College	PA	$51,860	43
Lemoore College	CA	$47,196	69
Liberty University	VA	$53,803	66
Lone Star College System	TX	$44,057	88
Luzerne County Community College	PA	$38,416	35
Macomb Community College	MI	$51,057	34
Madison Area Technical College	WI	$60,863	52
Massachusetts Bay Community College	MA	$49,344	33
Massasoit Community College	MA	$54,915	73
McLennan Community College	TX	$44,939	49
Merced College	CA	$45,151	51
Metropolitan Community College Area	NE	$48,500	38
Middlesex College	NJ	$51,937	118
Middlesex Community College	MA	$58,029	56
Midlands Technical College	SC	$44,673	31
Miller-Motte College-Augusta (reported together with 10 other campuses under one federal school ID)	GA	$37,018	229
Milwaukee Area Technical College	WI	$46,366	38
Mineral Area College	MO	$49,477	31
Minneapolis Community and Technical College	MN	$59,022	73
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College	MS	$32,460	38
Missouri Southern State University	MO	$46,582	139
Modesto Junior College	CA	$42,669	35
Mohawk Valley Community College	NY	$45,481	54
Monroe Community College	NY	$45,814	78
Monroe University	NY	$41,866	348
Montgomery County Community College	PA	$56,410	32
Mount Wachusett Community College	MA	$60,626	37
Mt San Antonio College	CA	$45,181	46
Mt San Jacinto Community College District	CA	$40,368	35
Nassau Community College	NY	$54,243	188
National American University-Ellsworth (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	SD	$41,000	43
Navarro College	TX	$38,213	35
New England Institute of Technology	RI	$44,253	36
New Mexico State University-Alamogordo (reported together with 3 other campuses under one federal school ID)	NM	$35,798	48
NHTI-Concord's Community College	NH	$53,374	51
Niagara County Community College	NY	$48,357	64
North Hennepin Community College	MN	$65,910	73
North Shore Community College	MA	$56,407	73
Northampton County Area Community College	PA	$48,886	91
Northeast Community College	NE	$45,484	35
Northern Essex Community College	MA	$52,309	31
Northern Virginia Community College	VA	$63,015	34
Northwest Vista College	TX	$47,630	71
Northwood Technical College	WI	$44,992	31
NUC University	PR	$29,799	145
Oakland Community College	MI	$56,926	37
Ocean County College	NJ	$45,598	43
Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus (reported together with 4 other campuses under one federal school ID)	OH	$53,577	37
Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City	OK	$66,287	30
Onondaga Community College	NY	$46,949	40
Orange County Community College	NY	$53,827	39
Owens Community College	OH	$46,300	37
Pasadena City College	CA	$44,033	60
Pennsylvania Western University	PA	$46,987	40
Pima Community College	AZ	$49,865	117
Pitt Community College	NC	$39,819	41
Platt College-Anaheim (reported together with 3 other campuses under one federal school ID)	CA	$39,600	33
Polk State College	FL	$48,056	39
Portland Community College	OR	$55,469	37
Post University	CT	$55,105	52
Purdue University Global	IN	$58,840	176
Quinsigamond Community College	MA	$49,474	96
Raritan Valley Community College	NJ	$42,357	41
Rasmussen University-Florida (reported together with 5 other campuses under one federal school ID)	FL	$56,503	149
Remington College-Cleveland Campus (reported together with 6 other campuses under one federal school ID)	OH	$37,099	237
Riverside City College	CA	$44,951	48
Rockland Community College	NY	$53,294	69
Rowan College at Burlington County	NJ	$54,770	67
Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus (reported together with 1 other campus under one federal school ID)	NJ	$44,481	133
Sacramento City College	CA	$46,078	68
Saint Leo University	FL	$47,269	52
Saint Louis Community College	MO	$49,853	30
Salt Lake Community College	UT	$57,197	58
San Antonio College	TX	$42,775	52
San Diego Miramar College	CA	$51,492	45
San Joaquin Delta College	CA	$51,141	42
San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield (reported together with 8 other campuses under one federal school ID)	CA	$44,103	267
Santa Ana College	CA	$48,682	72
Schenectady County Community College	NY	$55,533	35
Schoolcraft Community College District	MI	$55,436	69
Seminole State College of Florida	FL	$55,297	32
South Texas College	TX	$39,235	374
Southeast Community College Area	NE	$39,876	39
Southern Maine Community College	ME	$53,650	53
Southern New Hampshire University	NH	$52,988	210
Southwestern College	CA	$49,689	69
Spokane Community College	WA	$44,015	30
Springfield Technical Community College	MA	$44,629	84
Stanly Community College	NC	$55,689	43
Suffolk County Community College	NY	$52,140	159
SUNY Adirondack	NY	$40,038	39
SUNY Broome Community College	NY	$47,840	77
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	NY	$38,533	51
SUNY Corning Community College	NY	$47,512	30
Sussex County Community College	NJ	$49,816	35
Tarrant County College District	TX	$47,675	43
Texas Southmost College	TX	$41,284	102
Tidewater Community College	VA	$47,597	80
Trinity Valley Community College	TX	$44,371	43
Tyler Junior College	TX	$42,738	43
UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey	NJ	$47,693	86
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus	PR	$24,848	65
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Cupey Campus	PR	$29,443	69
University of Arkansas Grantham	AR	$42,512	124
University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College (reported together with 2 other campuses under one federal school ID)	OH	$48,290	46
University of Phoenix-Arizona	AZ	$47,592	471
Valencia College	FL	$47,005	71
Victor Valley College	CA	$45,397	44
Vincennes University	IN	$45,536	71
Wake Technical Community College	NC	$50,013	44
Waukesha County Technical College	WI	$62,093	51
West Valley College	CA	$49,981	33
Western Dakota Technical College	SD	$46,659	31

See every school that awarded associate degrees in Criminal Justice and Corrections in 2023-24, including schools that do not report earnings, with the number of degrees awarded (IPEDS Completions).

Occupations O*NET associates with this field

Occupations that U.S. Department of Labor O*NET data links to Criminal Justice and Corrections programs, with each occupation's national median pay, projected job growth and yearly openings. They are listed in the order O*NET links them to this field; click a column heading to sort. This is a classification crosswalk, not evidence that graduates enter these jobs, and many of these occupations require more education, a license or experience beyond this credential. The figures describe the occupation, not the graduates of this major.

Career	Median pay, 2025	Projected growth, 2025–2035	Openings per year
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	$76,590	+1.5%	1,100
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$106,040	+3.3%	10,600
Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$93,790	+0.2%	7,800
Police Identification and Records Officers	$93,790	+0.2%	7,800
Intelligence Analysts	$93,790	+0.2%	7,800
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$76,210	+3.5%	51,500
Customs and Border Protection Officers	$76,210	+3.5%	51,500
Private Detectives and Investigators	$51,220	+5.5%	3,200
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$77,970	-2.5%	3,700
Correctional Officers and Jailers	$58,940	-7.4%	28,400

Frequently asked questions

Does an associate degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections pay off?

Graduates with an associate degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections earn a median of $46,706 four years after graduating, and typically owe about $12,100 in federal loans. Earnings four years out are early-career pay, and they vary widely by school, job and place. Compare the pay with the cost of your own school on its graduate earnings page.

How much do college graduates earn overall?

See earnings by education level and by state.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data (June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution; careers from O*NET 31.0 by the U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Career pay, growth and openings: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025-2035). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed them. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. MajorPays has modified all or some of the O*NET information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Earnings are for graduates who received federal financial aid and were working and not enrolled four years after finishing (graduates of academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16, in 2021 dollars; the debt figures are for graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20); the data says nothing about how much a school added to its graduates' earnings.