Facts

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2009 that the average probation officer salary across the country was $50,500 per year. This figure compares favorably to the salary earned by Alabama's probation officers, who averaged a statewide salary of $42,490.
  
  

Range

• Some of Alabama's 900 probation officers (in May 2009) earned salaries higher than the national average. In Alabama's top 90th percentile of earners, probation officers averaged salaries of approximately $64,230 per year. On the low end of the scale, probation officers in the state's bottom 10th percentile averaged salaries of $28,890 annually.
  
  

Considerations

• Probation officers are regulated on a state-by-state basis. In Alabama, the profession falls under the State of Alabama Personnel Department. Candidates seeking salaries in the probation field must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited university, though no specific major is required. Prospective probation officers must have an Alabama driver's license and submit to physical and mental examinations.
  
  

Outlook

• A growing prison population contributes to the BLS' expectation that the field of probation officer employment will grow by 19 percent through 2018, adding 19,900 jobs nationwide. The bureau notes that many vacancies for probation officer jobs will come from current probation officers retiring out of the system.