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The differences between access control officers and security officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an access control officer has an average salary of $31,174, which is higher than the $31,101 average annual salary of a security officer.
The top three skills for an access control officer include customer service, patrol and CPR. The most important skills for a security officer are customer service, ladders, and patrol.
| Access Control Officer | Security Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $31,174 | $31,101 |
| Hourly rate | $14.99 | $14.95 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 142,427 | 125,879 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Safety is a crucial issue for many businesses today. Many are spending thousands of dollars to ensure the safety of their properties. An access control officer is a person who provides the security of premises through the use of a combined approach of surveillance and detection. The access control officer needs to detect, deter, observe, and report suspicious characters near the property's perimeter, which may cause crime. The officer must be capable of detecting and preventing people with criminal intentions.
A security officer is responsible for maintaining the peace and safety of everyone by regularly patrolling and monitoring surveillance equipment within the assigned premises. Security officers' duties also include reporting suspicious behaviors, restricting trespassers and unauthorized personnel from entering the establishment, providing incident reports for policy violations, and adhering to the standard protocols and legal requirements set by the management. Security offers must also have excellent decision-making and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of emergency drills in case any unfortunate circumstances arise.
Access control officers and security officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Access Control Officer | Security Officer | |
| Average salary | $31,174 | $31,101 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $41,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Battelle |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Utilities |
There are a few differences between an access control officer and a security officer in terms of educational background:
| Access Control Officer | Security Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between access control officers' and security officers' demographics:
| Access Control Officer | Security Officer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 16.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 6.2% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |