Which state pays criminal justice certificate graduates the most?

Wisconsin, where the median program pays its graduates $62,739 in their first year, the highest of 9 state rankings. California is next, at $62,350.

Which criminal justice certificate program pays the most?

Santa Rosa Junior College in California reports the highest first-year pay of the 139 programs ranked here, $111,649. Its median federal debt is $14,125.

How much debt do criminal justice certificate graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $14,828 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 26% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Criminal Justice (Certificate) Programs in the US

139 programs report first-year pay
9 state rankings
Certificate in Criminal Justice and Corrections

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median criminal justice certificate program in the US pays its graduates $51,384 in their first year and $53,003 five years after. Wisconsin has the highest state median ($62,739), and Missouri the lowest ($43,252). The median program leaves its graduates with $14,828 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$51,384Across 139 programs

Median pay after 5 years$53,003Across 131 programs

Median federal debt$14,828Across 108 programs

Debt-to-earnings26%Across 99 programs

All 139 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Santa Rosa Junior CollegeSanta Rosa, CA · public	$111,649	$100,839	$93,404	$14,125	13%
2	San Bernardino Valley CollegeSan Bernardino, CA · public	$94,285	$85,156	$45,460	$19,500	21%
3	San Diego Miramar CollegeSan Diego, CA · public	$91,647	$82,774	Not reported	$13,738	15%
4	Monroe Community CollegeRochester, NY · public	$85,061	$78,818	Not reported	$16,500	19%
5	Moreno Valley CollegeMoreno Valley, CA · public	$81,339	$73,464	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
6	Gateway Technical CollegeKenosha, WI · public	$73,818	$78,451	$75,009	$18,750	25%
7	Butte CollegeOroville, CA · public	$73,170	$66,086	$84,378	$15,414	21%
8	Red Rocks Community CollegeLakewood, CO · public	$72,583	$70,433	$79,287	$17,667	24%
9	Laredo CollegeLaredo, TX · public	$72,049	$74,234	$79,449	Not reported	Not reported
10	Lamar Institute of TechnologyBeaumont, TX · public	$71,733	$73,908	$82,081	$15,318	21%
11	Columbus StateColumbus, GA · public	$71,153	$73,892	$55,292	$12,833	18%
12	Community College of Baltimore CountyBaltimore, MD · public	$70,610	$67,274	$83,303	$18,097	26%
13	Erie Community CollegeBuffalo, NY · public	$70,012	$64,873	$76,162	$17,125	24%
14	Montgomery County Community CollegeBlue Bell, PA · public	$69,937	$71,677	$80,050	$18,888	27%
15	Front Range Community CollegeWestminster, CO · public	$69,776	$67,710	Not reported	$24,774	36%
16	Palm Beach State CollegeLake Worth, FL · public	$69,415	$67,123	$79,900	$16,000	23%
17	Waukesha County Technical CollegePewaukee, WI · public	$69,115	$73,452	Not reported	$19,500	28%
18	Blackhawk Technical CollegeJanesville, WI · public	$68,669	$72,978	Not reported	$19,381	28%
19	Colorado Mountain CollegeGlenwood Springs, CO · public	$68,129	$66,111	$73,767	$19,500	29%
20	Alvin Community CollegeAlvin, TX · public	$67,797	$69,853	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
21	Washtenaw Community CollegeAnn Arbor, MI · public	$67,732	$70,395	$67,308	$28,059	41%
22	Rasmussen UniversitySt. Cloud, MN · private for-profit	$67,135	$68,074	$64,718	$25,686	38%
23	Colorado Mesa UniversityGrand Junction, CO · public	$65,638	$63,694	Not reported	$11,000	17%
24	Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI · public	$64,741	$68,804	Not reported	$22,250	34%
25	Owens Community CollegePerrysburg, OH · public	$63,966	$68,948	Not reported	$13,549	21%
26	Yuba CollegeMarysville, CA · public	$62,350	$56,313	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
27	Hillsborough CollegeTampa, FL · public	$62,249	$60,194	$62,013	$18,924	30%
28	Jefferson CollegeHillsboro, MO · public	$61,641	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
29	Blinn College DistrictBrenham, TX · public	$61,585	$63,452	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
30	Galveston CollegeGalveston, TX · public	$61,086	$62,938	$53,741	Not reported	Not reported
31	Northwestern Michigan CollegeTraverse City, MI · public	$61,054	$63,454	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
32	Great Oaks Career CampusesCincinnati, OH · public	$60,896	$65,639	$65,210	$16,673	27%
33	Chippewa Valley Technical CollegeEau Claire, WI · public	$60,737	$64,549	$62,796	$15,335	25%
34	Indian River State CollegeFort Pierce, FL · public	$60,298	$58,307	$65,396	$6,352	11%
35	Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonville, FL · public	$60,055	$58,072	$62,775	$15,796	26%
36	Purdue GlobalWest Lafayette, IN · public	$59,658	Not adjusted	$32,483	$26,750	45%
37	Northcentral Technical CollegeWausau, WI · public	$59,645	$63,388	Not reported	$18,750	31%
38	Yavapai CollegePrescott, AZ · public	$59,511	$59,111	$66,587	$17,625	30%
39	Camden County CollegeBlackwood, NJ · public	$59,298	$54,499	$77,810	$15,644	26%
40	Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids, MI · public	$59,278	$61,609	$72,220	$11,600	20%
41	Western Technical College (Wisconsin)La Crosse, WI · public	$59,276	Not adjusted	$57,230	Not reported	Not reported
42	Minnesota North CollegeHibbing, MN · public	$59,186	$60,014	Not reported	$25,125	42%
43	Fort Myers Technical CollegeFort Myers, FL · public	$58,949	$57,003	$53,003	Not reported	Not reported
44	Manatee Technical CollegeBradenton, FL · public	$58,216	$56,294	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
45	Aims Community CollegeGreeley, CO · public	$57,841	$56,128	$65,508	$9,062	16%
46	Lake Region State CollegeDevils Lake, ND · public	$57,765	$64,934	$63,272	$10,131	18%
47	Delaware County Community CollegeMedia, PA · public	$57,464	$58,894	$60,104	$16,625	29%
48	Hennepin Technical CollegeBrooklyn Park, MN · public	$56,699	$57,492	$70,999	$19,854	35%
49	Technical College of the RockiesDelta, CO · public	$56,589	$54,913	$68,837	$4,750	8%
50	Houston City CollegeHouston, TX · public	$56,454	$58,166	$56,987	$13,925	25%
51	Wharton County Junior CollegeWharton, TX · public	$55,919	$57,615	$62,492	$8,753	16%
52	Austin Community College DistrictAustin, TX · public	$55,230	$56,905	$67,046	$18,500	33%
53	Johnson County Community CollegeOverland Park, KS · public	$55,171	$61,255	$62,529	$20,106	36%
54	Arapahoe Community CollegeLittleton, CO · public	$54,371	$52,761	$61,832	$21,351	39%
55	Alexandria Technical & Community CollegeAlexandria, MN · public	$54,355	$55,115	$68,313	$18,799	35%
56	Wor-Wic Community CollegeSalisbury, MD · public	$53,813	$51,270	$61,335	$14,000	26%
57	Butler Technology and Career Development SchoolsMonroe, OH · public	$53,759	$57,946	Not reported	$8,022	15%
58	Nicolet Area Technical CollegeRhinelander, WI · public	$53,660	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
59	Pima Community CollegeTucson, AZ · public	$53,544	$53,184	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
60	Jamestown Community CollegeJamestown, NY · public	$53,438	$49,516	$64,496	$21,502	40%
61	Polk State CollegeWinter Haven, FL · public	$53,333	$51,572	Not reported	$13,132	25%
62	Osceola Technical CollegeKissimmee, FL · public	$53,164	$51,409	$57,245	Not reported	Not reported
63	Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical SchoolsGroveport, OH · public	$53,090	$57,225	$63,584	$7,874	15%
64	North Central State CollegeMansfield, OH · public	$53,039	$57,170	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
65	Daytona State CollegeDaytona Beach, FL · public	$52,755	$51,013	$56,157	$8,169	15%
66	San Antonio CollegeSan Antonio, TX · public	$52,557	$54,151	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
67	Cape Fear Community CollegeWilmington, NC · public	$52,282	$55,427	$47,840	$16,042	31%
68	Pueblo Community CollegePueblo, CO · public	$52,241	$50,694	$59,359	$7,656	15%
69	Eastern Florida State CollegeMelbourne, FL · public	$51,461	$49,762	$54,592	$8,635	17%
70	Rio Salado CollegeTempe, AZ · public	$51,384	$51,038	$56,820	$11,500	22%
71	Ulster County Community CollegeStone Ridge, NY · public	$51,069	$47,321	$75,149	$13,206	26%
72	Pikes Peak State CollegeColorado Springs, CO · public	$50,546	$49,049	$65,234	Not reported	Not reported
73	Otero CollegeLa Junta, CO · public	$50,431	Not adjusted	$48,869	Not reported	Not reported
74	Gaston CollegeDallas, NC · public	$50,038	$53,048	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
75	South Plains CollegeLevelland, TX · public	$49,987	$51,503	Not reported	$9,291	19%
76	Durham Technical Community CollegeDurham, NC · public	$49,893	$52,894	Not reported	$17,750	36%
77	Lackawanna CollegeScranton, PA · private nonprofit	$49,642	$50,877	$75,891	$12,115	24%
78	San Juan CollegeFarmington, NM · public	$49,243	$53,402	Not reported	$8,768	18%
79	South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX · public	$49,125	$50,615	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
80	UMass LowellLowell, MA · public	$49,078	Not adjusted	$38,784	$23,643	48%
81	Amarillo CollegeAmarillo, TX · public	$48,916	$50,399	$56,834	Not reported	Not reported
82	College of the MainlandTexas City, TX · public	$48,704	$50,181	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
83	Forsyth Technical Community CollegeWinston-Salem, NC · public	$48,388	$51,299	Not reported	$21,066	44%
84	Wilson Community CollegeWilson, NC · public	$48,304	$51,210	Not reported	$17,060	35%
85	Metropolitan Community College-Kansas CityKansas City, MO · public	$48,137	$53,004	$53,393	$4,821	10%
86	Northwest Florida State CollegeNiceville, FL · public	$48,087	$46,500	$52,831	$11,808	25%
87	South Piedmont Community CollegePolkton, NC · public	$47,748	$50,620	Not reported	$17,823	37%
88	Mitchell Community CollegeStatesville, NC · public	$47,001	$49,828	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
89	Rowan-Cabarrus Community CollegeSalisbury, NC · public	$46,993	$49,820	$55,540	$10,625	23%
90	Greene County Career CenterXenia, OH · public	$46,623	$50,254	$53,670	$8,919	19%
91	Augusta Technical CollegeAugusta, GA · public	$46,165	Not adjusted	$51,545	Not reported	Not reported
92	George Stone Technical CollegePensacola, FL · public	$45,951	$44,434	$55,310	Not reported	Not reported
93	Gulf Coast State CollegePanama City, FL · public	$45,648	$44,141	$45,942	$6,250	14%
94	Lake Technical CollegeEustis, FL · public	$45,472	$43,971	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
95	Savannah Technical CollegeSavannah, GA · public	$45,326	$47,071	$49,321	$12,125	27%
96	Mineral Area CollegePark Hills, MO · public	$45,217	$49,789	$50,469	$9,500	21%
97	EHOVE Career CenterMilan, OH · public	$45,082	$48,593	$65,505	Not reported	Not reported
98	Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeLexington, KY · public	$44,752	$49,637	Not reported	$8,865	20%
99	Walters State Community CollegeMorristown, TN · public	$44,624	$48,573	$49,143	$16,702	37%
100	Western Piedmont Community CollegeMorganton, NC · public	$44,397	$47,068	$51,065	Not reported	Not reported
101	Cleveland Community CollegeShelby, NC · public	$44,116	$46,770	$44,800	Not reported	Not reported
102	Florida Gateway CollegeLake City, FL · public	$44,048	$42,594	$42,233	$7,500	17%
103	College of Western IdahoNampa, ID · public	$43,684	$45,745	Not reported	$5,500	13%
104	Tallahassee State CollegeTallahassee, FL · public	$43,235	$41,808	$50,180	$26,862	62%
105	Coastal Carolina Community CollegeJacksonville, NC · public	$43,070	$45,661	$49,701	Not reported	Not reported
106	Trinidad State CollegeTrinidad, CO · public	$42,381	$41,126	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
107	Polaris Career CenterMiddleburg Heights, OH · public	$41,966	$45,235	$63,196	Not reported	Not reported
108	Cleveland State Community CollegeCleveland, TN · public	$41,488	$45,159	$49,946	$6,318	15%
109	Southwest Texas CollegeUvalde, TX · public	$41,320	$42,573	$36,243	$5,125	12%
110	Moberly Area Community CollegeMoberly, MO · public	$41,286	$45,461	$38,413	$6,337	15%
111	Drury UniversitySpringfield, MO · private nonprofit	$41,277	$45,451	Not reported	$8,265	20%
112	Wilkes Community CollegeWilkesboro, NC · public	$41,251	$43,732	$44,129	$11,000	27%
113	Wayne Community CollegeGoldsboro, NC · public	$40,557	$42,997	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
114	Black River Technical CollegePocahontas, AR · public	$40,468	$46,549	Not reported	$7,100	18%
115	Hocking CollegeNelsonville, OH · public	$40,158	$43,286	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
116	Buckeye Hills Career CenterRio Grande, OH · public	$39,455	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
117	Shippensburg University of PennsylvaniaShippensburg, PA · public	$38,907	$39,875	Not reported	$23,500	60%
118	Davidson-Davie Community CollegeThomasville, NC · public	$38,392	$40,701	$44,585	$16,500	43%
119	Florida Panhandle Technical CollegeChipley, FL · public	$38,381	Not adjusted	$35,578	Not reported	Not reported
120	Chipola CollegeMarianna, FL · public	$38,366	$37,099	$34,734	$8,847	23%
121	Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester CampusSewell, NJ · public	$38,144	$35,057	$36,220	$11,862	31%
122	Withlacoochee Technical CollegeInverness, FL · public	$37,788	$36,541	$51,889	Not reported	Not reported
123	Fresno City CollegeFresno, CA · public	$35,848	$32,377	$47,694	Not reported	Not reported
124	Dallas CollegeDallas, TX · public	$35,569	$36,648	$43,305	$15,997	45%
125	Somerset Community CollegeSomerset, KY · public	$34,245	Not adjusted	Not reported	$15,899	46%
126	Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL · public	$34,209	$33,080	$50,008	$9,563	28%
127	Missouri Southern StateJoplin, MO · public	$34,058	$37,502	$40,880	$18,649	55%
128	Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN · public	$33,463	$35,855	$39,943	$17,237	52%
129	Brightpoint Community CollegeChester, VA · public	$33,360	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
130	Carrington College-Phoenix NorthPhoenix, AZ · private for-profit	$30,388	$30,184	Not reported	$8,481	28%
131	Carrington College-SacramentoSacramento, CA · private for-profit	$30,217	$27,291	Not reported	$8,045	27%
132	Sinclair Community CollegeDayton, OH · public	$29,888	$32,216	$31,556	$8,190	27%
133	UEI College-Huntington ParkHuntington Park, CA · private for-profit	$29,663	$26,791	$33,255	$9,500	32%
134	Bryant & Stratton College-BuffaloBuffalo, NY · private nonprofit	$28,070	$26,010	Not reported	$14,860	53%
135	Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolk, VA · public	$27,916	$27,611	Not reported	$14,795	53%
136	UEI College-FresnoFresno, CA · private for-profit	$23,849	$21,540	$26,048	$9,500	40%
137	Passaic County Community CollegePaterson, NJ · public	$23,559	$21,652	$43,179	$10,625	45%
138	UEI College-GardenaGardena, CA · private for-profit	$23,026	$20,797	$31,769	$9,500	41%
139	Academia SerrantPonce, PR · private for-profit	$11,565	Not adjusted	$17,863	Not reported	Not reported

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 127 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 12, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

40 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked.

Criminal Justice (Certificate) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's criminal justice certificate programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Wisconsin	8	$62,739	$18,750
2	California	11	$62,350	$13,355
3	Colorado	11	$56,589	$14,334
4	Texas	15	$55,230	$13,925
5	New York	5	$53,438	$16,500
6	Florida	20	$49,774	$9,563
7	North Carolina	14	$46,997	$17,280
8	Ohio	11	$46,623	$8,555
9	Missouri	6	$43,252	$8,265

Programs in 18 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

Technical College of the Rockies, CO$4,750
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City, MO$4,821
Southwest Texas College, TX$5,125
Gulf Coast State College, FL$6,250
Moberly Area Community College, MO$6,337
Indian River State College, FL$6,352
Florida Gateway College, FL$7,500
Pueblo Community College, CO$7,656
Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, OH$7,874
Butler Technology and Career Development Schools, OH$8,022

Lowest debt for the pay

Technical College of the Rockies, CO8%
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City, MO10%
Indian River State College, FL11%
Southwest Texas College, TX12%
Santa Rosa Junior College, CA13%
Gulf Coast State College, FL14%
Pueblo Community College, CO15%
Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, OH15%
Butler Technology and Career Development Schools, OH15%
San Diego Miramar College, CA15%

Only the 66 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to criminal justice, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Security Guards

$38,020

Median pay in the US. 1,283,470 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 156,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $30,210Top 10%: $58,840

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

$76,210

Median pay in the US. 670,520 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 51,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $47,510Top 10%: $115,120

Compliance Officers

$80,730

Median pay in the US. 417,070 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $48,220Top 10%: $133,720

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$59,550

Median pay in the US. 392,550 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $42,280Top 10%: $95,530

Common questions

The median criminal justice certificate program in the US pays its graduates $51,384 in their first year and $53,003 five years after.

Criminal Justice (Bachelor's) programs in the US, ranked557 programs by pay and debt Criminal Justice (Associate's) programs in the US, ranked246 programs by pay and debt

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024