These Are The 10 Best States For Security Officers
We used the most recent data to determine the best states for Security Officers to open up shop.
Security Officers are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as security officers in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since security officers are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where security officers have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for security officers.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s security officers:
So there you have it — Security Guards is the best of the best when it comes to being a security officer.
How did Security Guards end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for security officers and for more on the top ten states.
If you’re interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- These Are The 20 Best Small Companies In Chicago To Work For
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Chicago
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Illinois
How we determined the best states to be a security officer
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for security officers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well security officers get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2016:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for security officers in California is $30,760 and the average salary in Illinois is $31,560, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for security officers in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for security officers.
1. Illinois
Total Jobs: 49,370
Average Annual Salary: $31,560
Average Entry Level Salary: $20,190
Average Experienced Salary: $47,830
Location Quotient: 1.06
2. Alaska
Total Jobs: 2,070
Average Annual Salary: $46,610
Average Entry Level Salary: $27,680
Average Experienced Salary: $71,770
Location Quotient: 0.81
3. Oklahoma
Total Jobs: 11,550
Average Annual Salary: $29,820
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,240
Average Experienced Salary: $49,630
Location Quotient: 0.93
4. Nebraska
Total Jobs: 4,660
Average Annual Salary: $32,280
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,650
Average Experienced Salary: $52,410
Location Quotient: 0.61
5. Tennessee
Total Jobs: 23,350
Average Annual Salary: $29,910
Average Entry Level Salary: $17,230
Average Experienced Salary: $49,470
Location Quotient: 1.03
6. Idaho
Total Jobs: 2,800
Average Annual Salary: $34,320
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,160
Average Experienced Salary: $63,660
Location Quotient: 0.54
7. Washington
Total Jobs: 18,880
Average Annual Salary: $35,200
Average Entry Level Salary: $22,340
Average Experienced Salary: $53,970
Location Quotient: 0.78
8. Virginia
Total Jobs: 32,970
Average Annual Salary: $33,800
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,710
Average Experienced Salary: $52,680
Location Quotient: 1.12
9. Missouri
Total Jobs: 17,000
Average Annual Salary: $29,330
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,380
Average Experienced Salary: $47,590
Location Quotient: 0.78
10. Wyoming
Total Jobs: 1,000
Average Annual Salary: $31,400
Average Entry Level Salary: $20,350
Average Experienced Salary: $45,200
Location Quotient: 0.46
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Security Officer
If you’re looking to start out your career as a security officer these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a security officer in America:
For more reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best States For security officers
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $31,560 |
| 2 | Alaska | $46,610 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | $29,820 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $32,280 |
| 5 | Tennessee | $29,910 |
| 6 | Idaho | $34,320 |
| 7 | Washington | $35,200 |
| 8 | Virginia | $33,800 |
| 9 | Missouri | $29,330 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $31,400 |
| 11 | Texas | $28,620 |
| 12 | Utah | $29,910 |
| 13 | Ohio | $28,690 |
| 14 | Arizona | $28,880 |
| 15 | Kansas | $28,630 |
| 16 | Colorado | $32,030 |
| 17 | Georgia | $28,260 |
| 18 | Michigan | $27,130 |
| 19 | South Carolina | $29,900 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $24,700 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $32,300 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $28,570 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $32,520 |
| 24 | Indiana | $27,000 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $27,020 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $25,750 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $27,600 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $25,420 |
| 29 | Maryland | $33,930 |
| 30 | Nevada | $28,260 |
| 31 | Delaware | $26,440 |
| 32 | Iowa | $27,420 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | $33,230 |
| 34 | Alabama | $23,690 |
| 35 | New York | $32,950 |
| 36 | Florida | $23,810 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $24,190 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $26,810 |
| 39 | New Jersey | $30,460 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | $26,270 |
| 41 | Montana | $27,150 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $32,310 |
| 43 | Oregon | $30,190 |
| 44 | California | $30,760 |
| 45 | Vermont | $31,600 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $30,690 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $26,520 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | $30,010 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | $31,530 |
| 50 | Maine | $27,260 |
