Force protection officer vs security guard

The differences between force protection officers and security guards can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a force protection officer has an average salary of $50,927, which is higher than the $31,983 average annual salary of a security guard.

The top three skills for a force protection officer include operations procedures, law enforcement and control points. The most important skills for a security guard are customer service, patrol, and ladders.

Force protection officer vs security guard overview

	Force Protection Officer	Security Guard
Yearly salary	$50,927	$31,983
Hourly rate	$24.48	$15.38
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	76,801	101,728
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Force protection officer vs security guard salary

Force protection officers and security guards have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Force Protection Officer	Security Guard
Average salary	$50,927	$31,983
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $110,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakewood, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Basin Electric Power Cooperative
Best paying industry	-	Utilities

Differences between force protection officer and security guard education

There are a few differences between a force protection officer and a security guard in terms of educational background:

	Force Protection Officer	Security Guard
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Force protection officer vs security guard demographics

Here are the differences between force protection officers' and security guards' demographics:

	Force Protection Officer	Security Guard
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1%	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between force protection officer and security guard duties and responsibilities

Force protection officer example responsibilities.

Manage safety and hazmat procedures.
Observe activities within military installation from watch towers arm with M4 and M9 IAW force protection arming status.
Qualify on M9 pistol; M4 rifle; M60 machine gun; and M249 squad automatic weapon.
Administer comprehensive plans for providing support to combat organizations force structure and evolving personnel management proposals.
Operate a team of 30 members who execute anti-terrorism force protection measures to safeguard assets vital to national security.
Direct weekly random anti-terrorism measures and personally conduct quarterly vulnerability assessments in relation to enemy threats and weather emergencies.

Security guard example responsibilities.

Assist employees with any and all concerns regarding payroll issues, insurance and requesting time off.
Certify in fire safety, adult/child CPR with mask and choking, adult/child a, infant CPR w/ mask and choking.
Distribute payroll checks to security officers.
Administer CPR and transport injured personnel to local medical facilities.
Monitor CCTV and other various intrusion detection security equipment for security issues.
Provide relief to other security officers while maintaining punctuality and building moral support.

Force protection officer vs security guard skills

Common force protection officer skills

Operations Procedures, 16%
Law Enforcement, 9%
Control Points, 8%
Security Operations, 4%
Emergency Alarms, 4%
Combat, 4%

Common security guard skills

Customer Service, 25%
Patrol, 17%
Ladders, 16%
Security Services, 6%
Emergency Situations, 4%
CPR, 3%

Force Protection Officer vs. similar jobs

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Protective Service Industry
Force Protection Officer
Force Protection Officer vs Security Guard

Updated January 8, 2025

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