Bailiffs vs Fish and Game Wardens: $57K vs $74K Median Pay

Bailiffs vs Fish and Game Wardens: what changes?

Consider Bailiffs if you want to maintain order in courts of law. Consider Fish and Game Wardens if you would rather patrol assigned area to prevent fish and game law violations. Entry credentials differ: Bailiffs, high school diploma or equivalent; Fish and Game Wardens, bachelor's degree.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Bailiffs and Fish and Game Wardens. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Bailiffs

National median pay (2025): $56,600
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and other contraband.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,600

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 1.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Bailiffs brief

Fish and Game Wardens

National median pay (2025): $74,060
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 500

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 5.7% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Fish and Game Wardens brief

How the national numbers differ

Fish and Game Wardens has the edge on median pay

Fish and Game Wardens is at $74,060, compared with $56,600 for Bailiffs.

Bailiffs has the edge on annual openings

Bailiffs is at 1,600 annual openings, compared with 500 annual openings for Fish and Game Wardens.

Typical preparation differs.

Bailiffs: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Fish and Game Wardens: Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Bailiffs has the edge on projected growth

Bailiffs is at -1.9% projected growth, compared with -5.7% projected growth for Fish and Game Wardens.

33.6/ 100

Bailiffs

28.5/ 100

Fish and Game Wardens

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence