Quick answer: The Blacksburg metro employs about 150 correctional officers and jailers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through the hiring agency or your state corrections department on current requirements.
Compare corrections programs enrolling now:
Licensing
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Correctional officer hiring runs through an agency academy and background process the degree does not replace; probation and treatment-specialist roles more commonly ask for the bachelor’s. Requirements are set agency by agency and state by state, and change.
See the Virginia licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with the hiring agency or your state corrections department on current requirements.
Schools Near You
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 2 schools
within 131 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
2 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
What Correctional Officers and Jailers Earn in Blacksburg
Correctional Officers and Jailers in the Blacksburg area earn a median $50,170 per year, below the national median of $58,940 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Corrections Pay in Blacksburg, VA
Metric
Blacksburg metro
Virginia
National
Median annual wage
$50,170
$50,140
$58,940
10th percentile
$36,250
$46,320
$42,760
25th percentile
$50,170
$47,570
$48,640
75th percentile
$50,170
$59,030
$75,850
90th percentile
$59,120
$70,570
$93,220
Employment
150
11,270
380,500
Location quotient
0.84
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Blacksburg median of $50,170 is below the national median of $58,940, and above the Virginia statewide median of $50,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.84 means correctional officers and jailers are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Corrections employment tracks facility locations, which are often outside major metros - one of the few public-safety fields where smaller markets carry deep hiring.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do correctional officers and jailers make in Blacksburg?
The median annual wage for correctional officers and jailers in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA metro area is $50,170, below the national median of $58,940 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many correctional officers and jailers work in the Blacksburg area?
The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA metro area employs about 150 correctional officers and jailers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do correctional officers and jailers in Blacksburg need a license?
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Correctional officer hiring runs through an agency academy and background process the degree does not replace; probation and treatment-specialist roles more commonly ask for the bachelor's. Requirements are set agency by agency and state by state, and change. Confirm current requirements with the hiring agency or your state corrections department on current requirements.
Can I study corrections online from Blacksburg?
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies the hiring agency or your state corrections department on current requirements.
Is Blacksburg a better market than the rest of Virginia?
The Blacksburg metro median is $50,170 against a statewide median of $50,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Correctional Officers and Jailers (SOC 33-3012), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
