Best degree programs for Bailiffs, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 540 schools train Bailiffs. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $56,600 median wage, 17,310 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 540 schools train bailiffs, graduating 19,975 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Criminal Justice/Police Science. The job pays a median of $56,600 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About bailiffs
Maintain order in courts of law.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
1 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 43.0107 | 19,975 | 100.0% | 540 | $37,408 | $24,069 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What bailiffs earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $59,000 | 940 | 0.85× | 40 | 2,462 |
| Texas | $60,300 | 590 | 0.37× | 38 | 2,087 |
| Arizona | $46,390 | 270 | 0.74× | 14 | 1,143 |
| New Jersey | $43,690 | 50 | 0.11× | 17 | 953 |
| Ohio | $51,060 | 1,640 | 2.66× | 40 | 946 |
| Minnesota | $49,890 | 40 | 0.11× | 19 | 878 |
| New York | $77,540 | 3,830 | 3.56× | 22 | 848 |
| Wisconsin | $39,080 | 250 | 0.76× | 15 | 709 |
| Illinois | $46,390 | 960 | 1.42× | 29 | 676 |
| North Carolina | $56,100 | 250 | 0.45× | 30 | 675 |
| Michigan | $53,810 | 780 | 1.59× | 22 | 610 |
| Maryland | $59,470 | 410 | 1.34× | 13 | 522 |
| Colorado | $63,320 | 70 | 0.21× | 11 | 502 |
| Oklahoma | $42,000 | 180 | 0.96× | 21 | 360 |
| Virginiamoderate | $62,290 | 320 | 0.70× | 4 | 360 |
| Tennessee | $35,990 | 100 | 0.28× | 6 | 340 |
| Alabama | $42,300 | 150 | 0.62× | 11 | 315 |
| Georgia | $62,400 | 670 | 1.24× | 14 | 305 |
| Massachusetts | $86,730 | 930 | 2.30× | 8 | 266 |
| Arkansas | $45,090 | 140 | 0.93× | 10 | 256 |
| Missouri | $44,040 | 280 | 0.85× | 13 | 251 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,600 | 610 | 0.91× | 14 | 240 |
| Connecticutlimited | $111,890 | 40 | 0.20× | 2 | 238 |
| Iowa | $52,100 | 60 | 0.34× | 11 | 171 |
| Washington | $78,290 | 180 | 0.45× | 9 | 106 |
| Nevadamoderate | $71,230 | 210 | 1.20× | 3 | 96 |
| Alaskalimited | $90,600 | 60 | 1.71× | 2 | 74 |
| Utahmoderate | $57,290 | 40 | 0.20× | 4 | 69 |
| Idahomoderate | $50,350 | 110 | 1.11× | 3 | 63 |
| Louisianamoderate | $44,040 | 90 | 0.43× | 3 | 63 |
| Indianamoderate | $43,000 | 510 | 1.42× | 4 | 55 |
| West Virginiamoderate | $36,250 | 160 | 1.99× | 4 | 41 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $48,940 | 50 | 0.67× | 3 | 38 |
| North Dakotalimited | $27,560 | 170 | 3.65× | 1 | 38 |
| Mississippimoderate | $38,200 | 180 | 1.36× | 3 | 36 |
| Wyominglimited | $38,360 | 50 | 1.57× | 1 | 36 |
| Nebraskalimited | $76,090 | 50 | 0.47× | 2 | 35 |
| Oregon | $57,140 | 80 | 0.35× | 6 | 34 |
| Kansas | $69,390 | 450 | 2.79× | 7 | 30 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $30,760 | 760 | 3.42× | 3 | 21 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $41,010 | 60 | 0.78× | 1 | 15 |
| South Carolinalimited | $34,280 | 270 | 1.04× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and other contraband.
- Escort prisoners to and from courthouse and maintain custody of prisoners during court proceedings.
- Maintain order in courtroom during trial and guard jury from outside contact.
- Provide security by patrolling interior and exterior of courthouse and escorting judges and other court employees.
- Guard lodging of sequestered jury.
- Enforce courtroom rules of behavior and warn persons not to smoke or disturb court procedure.
- Arrest persons in court when arrest warrants have been issued.
- Report need for police or medical assistance to sheriff's office.
Skills
- Monitoring3.4
- Speaking3.4
- Active Listening3.3
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Active Learning2.8
- Writing2.3
- Learning Strategies2.1
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security4.3
- Law and Government4.1
- English Language3.6
- Customer and Personal Service3.0
- Psychology3.0
- Administration and Management2.9
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Speech Clarity3.8
- Selective Attention3.8
- Oral Expression3.8
- Oral Comprehension3.6
- Speech Recognition3.6
Core activities
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others4.5
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.5
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.4
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.4
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.3
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.3
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Bailiff
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Bailiffs1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 43.0107Criminal Justice/Police Science
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Bailiff?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Criminal Justice/Police Science, which awarded 19,975 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Bailiff?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Criminal Justice and Corrections. Together they graduate about 19,975 people a year.
How much do bailiffs earn?+
The median is $56,600 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $32,140 at the 10th percentile to $96,770 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for bailiffs growing?+
BLS projects a -2.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 1,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
540 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do bailiffs work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Bailiff, Court Bailiff, Court Officer, Court Security Officer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 33-3011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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