Kentucky correction officer salaries by employer, 2025
279 people worked as correction officers for Louisville Metro in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $82,100, overtime included. So far this page covers only Louisville Metro; more Kentucky employers follow as we collect their pay data.
What is the average correction officer salary in Kentucky?
- Correction officers
- 279
- 188 of them worked the full year
- Employers
- 1
- with 5 or more officers
- Median total pay
- $76,721
- the middle correction officer: half earned more, half less
- Overtime
- $23,141
- average per full-year correction officer
What stands out in Kentucky correction officer pay
Overtime adds an average of $23,141 a year.
Full-year corrections officers at Louisville Metro's jail had an average base pay of $58,358 and an average total pay of $82,100. The middle officer was paid $20,431 in overtime; some work far more and pull the average up.1
Sergeants average $97,521, $15,421 more than officers.
Full-year corrections sergeants averaged $97,521 and lieutenants averaged $108,836. Those ranks are kept out of the officer figures on this page.1
Kentucky correction officer pay by rank: officer, sergeant, lieutenant and captain
Louisville Metro's Department of Corrections, 2025. Louisville Metro publishes no current range for these ranks. Pay: full-year staff, overtime included.1
| Rank | Positions | Average total pay | Average overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Officers | 279 | $82,100 | $23,141 |
| Sergeants | 47 | $97,521 | $25,736 |
| Lieutenants | 12 | $108,836 | $23,650 |
| Captains | 8 | Fewer than 5 | Fewer than 5 |
Which Kentucky jobs count as correctional officers here, and which don't?
These figures cover Louisville Metro's Department of Corrections, which runs the jail, from Louisville Metro Government's payroll. We decided each title by hand.
Counted
- Corrections Officers. Including officers hired from other agencies (lateral entry).
Shown separately or left out
- Sergeants, lieutenants and captains. In the pay by rank table above, not in the officer figures.
- Majors and higher command staff.
- Recruits, transport officers and civilian jail staff. Transport officers move people between the jail and court; corrections technicians and clerks are civilian staff.
- Kentucky's state prisons and other county jails. Not covered yet.
Questions about correction officer pay in Kentucky
How much do correctional officers make in Kentucky?
Full-year corrections officers at Louisville Metro's Department of Corrections, the Kentucky jail covered so far, earned an average of $82,100 in 2025, including $23,141 in overtime. The middle officer earned $76,721.
Sources for the Kentucky correction officer figures
Every person who held a correction officer position at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who were already on Louisville Metro's payroll in 2024 and whose base pay in 2025 reached at least 90% of their own annual rate. The file has no hours or hire dates, so this is the closest sign of a full year. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- Louisville Metro Government, Louisville Metro KY Employee Salary Data (Louisville Open Data): title, department, annual rate, base pay, overtime, incentive and other pay of every Louisville Metro employee in 2025, and in 2024 to see who was already employed.