Also called: Superintendent, Jail Administrator
Runs an entire prison or jail: security, staff, programs, budgets, and safety for everyone inside.
Wardens walk the cellblocks, meet with staff and incarcerated people, handle emergencies like lockdowns, and manage budgets for food, health care, and education. They're responsible for thousands of lives around the clock.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 18 years after high school. Bachelor's (often master's) plus 15-20 years rising through corrections ranks.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Psychology.
Shrinking (about -3% over 10 years). Approximate.
Low risk for 10 years. Camera analytics and staffing software help; running a prison and handling crises stay human.
Classes: Government / Civics, Psychology, Business, Speech.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9199.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.