How to Find a Well-Paying Criminal Justice Career

There are tons of criminal justice careers to choose form, and some of them are more exhausting than others. While most people will first select the career they want to go into based on the kinds of duties they will have within that profession, a lot of them will also look into the pay levels for different careers to find out what they want to do. It is natural to want to learn about your criminal justice salary. Otherwise you won't know if your education is going to be worth the money you will make in the end. Here is a look at some of the most common professions in criminal justice, along with some pay scale statistics related to experience levels within them.

Court Reporter Salary

• Less than 1 year: $35,000 - $65,000 per year
• 1-4 years: $24,311 - $61,042 per year
• 5-9 years: $30,563 - $92,130 per year
• 10-19 years: $31,262 - $107,235 per year
• 20+ years: $24,511 - $92,279 per year

Crime Scene Investigator Salary

• Less than 1 year: $12,208 - $61,042 per year
• 1-4 years: $29,409 - $80,407 per year
• 5-9 years: $30,685 - $94,996 per year
• 10-19 years: $38,129 - $104,482 per year
• 20+ years: $40,498 - $129,754 per year

Police Officer Salary

• Less than 1 year: $24,470 - $58,803 per year
• 1-4 years: $27,811 - $65,016 per year
• 5-9 years: $30,669 - $79,143 per year
• 10-19 years: $34,181 - $89,225 per year
• 20 years or more: $39,633 - $105,823 per year

Paralegal Salary

• Less than 1 year: $24,410 - $43,453 per year
• 1-4 years: $26,395 - $50,740 per year
• 5-9 years: $31,434 - $61,068 per year
• 10-19 years: $34,314 - $70,273 per year
• 20+ years: $36,109 - $75,249 per year

FBI Agent Salary

• Less than 1 year: $40,000 - $102,409 per year
• 1-4 years: $33,433 - $92,715 per year
• 5-9 years: $40,877 - $124,507 per year
• 10-19 years: $48,047 - $144,295 per year
• 20+ years: $60,820 - $155,704 per year

Probation Officer Salary

• Less than 1 year: $24,744 - $49,491 per year
• 1-4 years: $25,982 - $45,144 per year
• 5-9 years: $29,522 - $62,055 per year
• 10-19 years: $32,978 - $70,933 per year
• 20+ years: $35,364 - $97,826 per year

Border Patrol Salary

• Less than 1 year: $47,349 per year
• 1-4 years: $68,661 per year
• 5-9 years: $90,143 per year
• 10-19 years: $73,469 per year
• 20+ years: $97,436 per year

CIA Agent Salary

• Less than 1 year: $55,330 a year
• 1-4 years: $59,413 a year
• 5-9 years: $87,250 a year
• 10-19 years: $89,500 a year
• 20+ years: $134,846 a year

Most criminal justice careers pay well in the end, but there are some that pay notably more than others. When you start thinking about where you want to go with your criminal justice degree, you may want to keep the information above in mind. The amount of money that you make in your career will determine how well off you are, even if your happiness is the most important thing in the end. Hopefully you can find a career that you enjoy being a part of and you can still make a lot of money doing. You just have to look into all of your options until you find something that will work well for you.