Armed guard vs security assistant

The differences between armed guards and security assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an armed guard has an average salary of $43,189, which is higher than the $38,261 average annual salary of a security assistant.

The top three skills for an armed guard include patrol, medical emergencies and national security. The most important skills for a security assistant are customer service, security clearance, and patrol.

Armed guard vs security assistant overview

	Armed Guard	Security Assistant
Yearly salary	$43,189	$38,261
Hourly rate	$20.76	$18.39
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	74,257	102,858
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Armed guard vs security assistant salary

Armed guards and security assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Armed Guard	Security Assistant
Average salary	$43,189	$38,261
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $59,000	Between $24,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Inter-Con Security Systems	Inter-Con Security Systems
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Government

Differences between armed guard and security assistant education

There are a few differences between an armed guard and a security assistant in terms of educational background:

	Armed Guard	Security Assistant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Armed guard vs security assistant demographics

Here are the differences between armed guards' and security assistants' demographics:

	Armed Guard	Security Assistant
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5%	Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.1% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between armed guard and security assistant duties and responsibilities

Armed guard example responsibilities.

Check for safety violations such as proper PPE and H2S monitors.
Certify cpr and a first aid, enforce rest area rules, conduct incident reports and crime.
Allow customers and deliveries in and out of Menards' yard.
Receive, inventory, and issuing of ammunition to bases and unit throughout the country.
Provide foot patrols, and CCTV monitoring of medical facilities, as well as lock up and access control.
Verify that everyone has the required PPE, such as hard hat, safety glasses, and steel toe boots.

Security assistant example responsibilities.

Manage the application for the FCL, maintain e-FCL and track clearance progress; provide CEO reports for require clearance actions.
Review, approve and input daily patrol logs, inspection forms, incident reports, and correspondence into the appropriate file/system.
Assist DHS on a contract with CBP.
Track employee DHS suitability status.
Request all supporting documents through DCII and the SMO need to properly determine access.
Conduct quarterly boat patrol inspections and annotates/resolve discrepancies.

Armed guard vs security assistant skills

Common armed guard skills

Patrol, 22%
Medical Emergencies, 11%
National Security, 8%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Law Enforcement, 7%
Traffic Control, 7%

Common security assistant skills

Customer Service, 11%
Security Clearance, 8%
Patrol, 7%
Patients, 6%
Security Procedures, 5%
Background Checks, 4%

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Protective Service Industry
Armed Guard
Armed Guard vs Security Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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