Inmate Salary
$29K - $33K
2% of jobs
$33K - $37K
4% of jobs
$37K - $41K
8% of jobs
$41K - $45K
10% of jobs
$45.2K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$45K - $49K
16% of jobs
The median wage is $51.7K / yr.
$49K - $53K
15% of jobs
$53K - $57K
14% of jobs
$58.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$57K - $61K
13% of jobs
$61K - $65K
8% of jobs
$65K - $69K
6% of jobs
$69K - $73K
3% of jobs
$29K
$53K
$74.5K
$54,007
/year
$25.96
/hour
Inmate Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$54,007
Columbus
Ohio
$52,166
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How much does an Inmate make?
As of Jul 31, 2026, the average annual pay for an Inmate in the United States is $54,007 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $25.96 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,038/week or $4,500/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $74,500 and as low as $29,000, the majority of Inmate salaries currently range between $46,000 (25th percentile) to $60,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $69,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Inmate varies greatly (by as much as 14000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
An Inmate in your area makes on average $52,166 per year, or $1,841 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $54,007. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Inmate salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Inmate jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as an Inmate on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Inmate Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Inmate job is above the national average. Topping the list is Barrow, AK, , with Berkeley, CA, and Lowell Point, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Lowell Point, AK, beats the national average by $11,304 (20.9%), and Barrow, AK, furthers that trend with another $13,274 (24.6%) above the $54,007 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Inmate appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 6% between Barrow, AK, and San Jose, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for an Inmate role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Barrow, AK | $67,281 | $32.35 |
Berkeley, CA | $66,129 | $31.79 |
Lowell Point, AK | $65,311 | $31.40 |
Sitka, AK | $65,061 | $31.28 |
San Bruno, CA | $64,522 | $31.02 |
San Francisco, CA | $63,630 | $30.59 |
Santa Clara, CA | $63,428 | $30.49 |
Livermore, CA | $63,350 | $30.46 |
Fairton, NJ | $63,342 | $30.45 |
San Jose, CA | $63,296 | $30.43 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Inmate Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Inmate category.
For example Senior Neurologist jobs pay as much as $231,402 (428.5%) more than the average Inmate salary of $54,007. If you're qualified, finding work as an Senior Neurologist may help you make more money than that of the average Inmate position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Neurologist | $285,409 | $137.22 |
Forensic Occupational Therapy | $76,501 | $36.78 |
Holistic Nutrition Consultant | $68,906 | $33.13 |
Family Preservation Specialist | $61,552 | $29.59 |
Urogynecology Job | $37,332 | $17.95 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
