Facts

• Across the country, probation officers kept track of their charges and their salaries, averaging an annual mean wage of $50,500 in 2009, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wages survey. Probation officers in Michigan fared slightly better than their correctional officer colleagues across the country, taking in an annual median wage of $53,260, a difference of $2,760 per year.
  
  

Ranges

• Not all of the approximately 2,500 probation officers in Michigan earned higher than the average wage in 2009. At the lowest 10th percentile of salaries, probation officers earned $38,810 per year. On the other end of the scale, the highest 90th percentile of probation officers earned an annual wage of $64,460 per year.
  
  

Considerations

• The traditional entry point to earning a salary as a probation officer in Michigan is a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, psychology, social work or related field, though not all jobs require a degree. The Michigan.gov website, which advertises positions and provides information about its state parole officers, suggests candidates have a bachelor's or master's degree. Prospective parole officers may find job assistance from an organization such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees or the American Correctional Association.
  
  

Outlook

• Demand for probation officers is growing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects a 19 percent rise -- an additional 19,900 jobs -- in the field across the country through 2018. This is partially due to the increasing number of people incarcerated in the prison system and the need to monitor them upon their exit.