How much does a desk officer make?

The average desk officer salary in the United States is $63,652. Desk officer salaries typically range between $39,000 and $102,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for desk officers is $30.6 per hour. Desk officer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Desk officers earn the highest average salary in New York.

Desk officer salary

Q: What state pays Desk Officers the most?

New York pays Desk Officers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $91,263 per year, or $43.88 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a desk officer?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a desk officer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in District of Columbia you should be paid close to $78,281 per year.

Average desk officer salary

$63,652

$30.6 hourly rate

Entry-level desk officer salary

$39,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Desk Officer Salary

The desk officer salary averages around $63,652 per year, translating to approximately $31 per hour. Salaries can vary based on factors such as experience, location, and the specific industry. For instance, desk officers in metropolitan areas often earn more due to higher demand and cost of living. Experience levels impact salaries significantly; entry-level positions tend to start lower, while experienced officers command higher pay.

Salary by State

States like California and New York often offer the highest salaries for desk officers, reflecting their urban centers' demands. Conversely, regions with lower living costs may have reduced salary ranges. Here’s a brief overview of the highest paying states for desk officers:

California
New York
Texas
Florida
Illinois

Exploring job listings can provide insight into specific opportunities and salary ranges. By staying informed about industry trends and regional salary variances, prospective desk officers can better navigate their career paths.

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Desk officer salary by:

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Where can a Desk Officer earn more?

Compare salary by location

116k

96k

76k

56k

36k

16k

Columbus, OH$91,390

Coral Gables, FL$46,342

Compare salary by company

102k

82k

62k

42k

22k

Human Rights Watch$87,744

DHS Group$31,755

Desk officer salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level desk officer	$50,200	$24.13
Mid-level desk officer	$66,400	$31.92
Senior-level desk officer	$80,700	$38.81

Desk officer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and SalaryExpert, the average salary for a desk officer typically falls between $63,652 and $119,838.

zippia

$63,652yearly

glassdoor[1]

$119,838yearly

SalaryExpert[2]

$67,375yearly

Average desk officer salary by state

The highest-paying states for desk officers are New York, Connecticut, and California. The lowest average desk officer salary states are Idaho, Kansas, and Louisiana.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for desk officers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York	$91,263	$43.88
2	New Jersey	$75,867	$36.47
3	Maryland	$75,141	$36.13
4	Rhode Island	$70,004	$33.66
5	Connecticut	$77,827	$37.42
6	Massachusetts	$70,488	$33.89
7	Arizona	$65,234	$31.36
8	Nevada	$63,572	$30.56
9	Michigan	$69,227	$33.28
10	Minnesota	$65,109	$31.30
11	Illinois	$66,696	$32.07
12	Pennsylvania	$67,628	$32.51
13	Ohio	$67,561	$32.48
14	Delaware	$74,059	$35.61
15	District of Columbia	$78,281	$37.64
16	Virginia	$61,483	$29.56
17	Wisconsin	$61,873	$29.75
18	Texas	$65,076	$31.29
19	California	$76,895	$36.97
20	Indiana	$60,565	$29.12
21	New Mexico	$59,534	$28.62
22	Vermont	$59,994	$28.84
23	New Hampshire	$62,288	$29.95
24	West Virginia	$59,844	$28.77
25	North Dakota	$54,200	$26.06
26	Iowa	$54,992	$26.44
27	Washington	$63,633	$30.59
28	Maine	$54,005	$25.96
29	Nebraska	$54,424	$26.17
30	Colorado	$51,345	$24.69
31	North Carolina	$50,567	$24.31
32	Idaho	$43,919	$21.11
33	Oregon	$54,337	$26.12
34	Alaska	$55,356	$26.61
35	Kentucky	$48,803	$23.46
36	Missouri	$47,352	$22.77
37	Georgia	$44,479	$21.38
38	Alabama	$44,158	$21.23
39	Wyoming	$51,058	$24.55
40	Tennessee	$46,788	$22.49
41	Mississippi	$40,656	$19.55
42	South Carolina	$44,008	$21.16
43	South Dakota	$46,430	$22.32
44	Florida	$47,995	$23.07
45	Montana	$46,880	$22.54
46	Louisiana	$41,744	$20.07
47	Hawaii	$49,883	$23.98
48	Kansas	$42,685	$20.52
49	Oklahoma	$41,253	$19.83
50	Utah	$44,539	$21.41
51	Arkansas	$40,237	$19.34

Top desk officer jobs near you

Highest paying cities for desk officers

The highest-paying cities for desk officers are New York, NY, Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York, NY	$91,390	$43.94
2	Washington, DC	$78,246	$37.62
3	Baltimore, MD	$75,418	$36.26
4	McLean, VA	$64,100	$30.82
5	Indianapolis, IN	$60,062	$28.88
6	Coral Gables, FL	$46,342	$22.28

Desk officer salary details

A desk officer's salary ranges from $39,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $102,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average desk officer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a desk officer's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$102,000	$8,500	$49
75th Percentile	$81,000	$6,750	$39
Average	$63,652	$5,304	$31
25th Percentile	$49,000	$4,083	$24
10th Percentile	$39,000	$3,250	$19

Highest paying desk officer jobs

The highest paying types of desk officers are first officer, law enforcement specialist, and desk manager.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Ranger	$32,117	$2,676	$15.44	748
Patrol Sergeant	$56,638	$4,720	$27.23	22,591
Police Cadet	$33,243	$2,770	$15.98	94,220
Military Police	$42,633	$3,553	$20.50	4,476
Code Enforcement Officer	$40,706	$3,392	$19.57	104,295
Law Enforcement Officer	$39,219	$3,268	$18.86	105,817

Top companies hiring desk officers now:

Which companies pay desk officers the most?

Desk officer salaries at Human Rights Watch and Logistics Management Institute are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average desk officer salary at companies like Jacobs Engineering Group and Xator are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Human Rights Watch	$87,744	$42.18
2	Logistics Management Institute	$87,437	$42.04
3	Jacobs Engineering Group	$85,364	$41.04
4	Xator	$76,659	$36.86
5	BAE Systems	$76,572	$36.81
6	Praxis	$74,921	$36.02
7	General Dynamics	$74,227	$35.69
8	ManTech	$72,370	$34.79
9	CACI International	$71,210	$34.24
10	Pacific Architects and Engineers	$70,327	$33.81
11	Vencore	$66,542	$31.99
12	KBR	$65,780	$31.63
13	Peraton	$65,746	$31.61
14	Defense Intelligence Agency	$64,147	$30.84
15	Jacobs Enterprises	$63,315	$30.44
16	Prescient Edge	$62,593	$30.09
17	Indiana State Police	$39,779	$19.12
18	Sunstates Security	$37,001	$17.79
19	Allied Universal	$36,815	$17.70
20	DHS Group	$31,755	$15.27

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$67,000$65,600$64,200$62,800$61,400$60,000

MaleFemale

Desk Officer salary by industry

The average desk officer salary varies across industries:

The average desk officer salary in the telecommunication industry is $66,159, the highest of any industry.
The average desk officer salary in the finance industry is $65,871.
Desk officers in the utilities industry earn an average salary of $37,020, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for desk officers

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Telecommunication	$66,159	$31.81
2	Finance	$65,871	$31.67
3	Government	$61,583	$29.61
4	Professional	$49,693	$23.89
5	Utilities	$37,020	$17.80

High paying desk officer jobs

Desk officer salary trends

The average desk officer salary has risen by $10,984 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average desk officer earned $52,668 annually, but today, they earn $63,652 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for desk officers over the last decade.

Compare desk officer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average desk officer salary over time

Compare desk officer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Desk officer salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2026	$63,700	$30.60	+3.6%
2025	$61,300	$29.49	+2.8%
2024	$59,600	$28.66	+0.5%
2023	$59,300	$28.51	+2.2%
2022	$58,000	$27.87	+2.3%

Recently added desk officer salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Perspecta	Desk Officer	McLean, VA	06/29/2025	$86,000
Leidos	Desk Officer	Reston, VA	06/17/2025	$50,050
Booz Allen Hamilton	Desk Officer, Senior	Ona, FL	05/28/2025	$77,500
Perspecta	Desk Officer	McLean, VA	05/28/2025	$86,000
Peraton	Desk Officer	McLean, VA	05/22/2025	$86,000
Peraton	Junior Desk Officer	McLean, VA	04/30/2025	$66,000
Caci International	SOF Desk Officer	Tampa, FL	04/29/2025	$70,900
City of Evanston, Il	Detention Desk Officer (FOP Union)	Evanston, IL	04/26/2025	$62,005
Perspecta	Desk Officer	McLean, VA	03/31/2025	$86,000
Peraton	Desk Officer	McLean, VA	03/27/2025	$86,000

Desk officer salary FAQs

What state pays Desk Officers the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a desk officer?

Have more questions? See all answers to common protective service questions.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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