Job outlook for private security officers in the United States

Private security officer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

The projected private security officer job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 38,000 new jobs for private security officers are projected over the next decade.
Private security officer salaries have increased 20% for private security officers in the last 5 years.
There are over 782,260 private security officers currently employed in the United States.
There are 114,851 active private security officer job openings in the US.
The average private security officer salary is $31,059.

Are private security officer jobs in demand?

Yes, private security officer jobs are in demand. Private security officer demand is projected to grow 3% from 2018 to 2028.

Private security officer job and salary trends over time

Compare the number of private security officer jobs and the average private security officer salary over time.

Private security officer jobs over time

Private security officer job growth rate over time

Year	# of jobs	% of population
2021	782,260	0.23%
2020	780,262	0.23%
2019	833,521	0.25%
2018	824,648	0.25%
2017	818,032	0.25%

Average private security officer salary over time

Private security officer salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$31,059	$14.93	+4.6%
2024	$29,688	$14.27	+4.2%
2023	$28,498	$13.70	+5.9%
2022	$26,908	$12.94	+4.4%
2021	$25,777	$12.39	+4.6%

Top private security officer jobs near you

Private security officer jobs by state

The map below shows you the number of private security officer job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where private security officers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Most common states for private security officers

Rank	State	Population	# of jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl
1	Rhode Island	1,059,639	285	27%
2	Minnesota	5,576,606	1,373	25%
3	Idaho	1,716,943	387	23%
4	Massachusetts	6,859,819	1,532	22%
5	New Hampshire	1,342,795	279	21%
6	North Dakota	755,393	162	21%
7	Vermont	623,657	133	21%
8	Nebraska	1,920,076	363	19%
9	South Dakota	869,666	163	19%
10	District of Columbia	693,972	130	19%
11	Arizona	7,016,270	1,234	18%
12	Iowa	3,145,711	556	18%
13	Georgia	10,429,379	1,765	17%
14	New Jersey	9,005,644	1,502	17%
15	Washington	7,405,743	1,288	17%
16	Oregon	4,142,776	695	17%
17	Illinois	12,802,023	2,090	16%
18	Pennsylvania	12,805,537	2,076	16%
19	North Carolina	10,273,419	1,681	16%
20	Alaska	739,795	119	16%

Most common cities for private security officers

Rank	City	# of jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl	Avg. salary
1	Racine	3	4%	$31,782
2	Hot Springs	1	3%	$27,290
3	Bentonville	1	2%	$27,829
4	Rogers	1	2%	$27,810
5	Little Rock	2	1%	$27,300
6	Fayetteville	1	1%	$27,741
7	Saint Charles	1	1%	$31,275
8	Los Angeles	5	0%	$34,875
9	Colorado Springs	2	0%	$31,315
10	Dallas	1	0%	$29,781
11	Des Moines	1	0%	$27,241
12	Miami	1	0%	$28,388
13	Portland	1	0%	$36,541
14	Tucson	1	0%	$28,816

Private security officer jobs

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