How much does a physical security specialist make?

The average physical security specialist salary in the United States is $74,038. Physical security specialist salaries typically range between $48,000 and $114,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for physical security specialists is $35.6 per hour. Physical security specialist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Physical security specialists earn the highest average salary in New York.

Physical security specialist salary

Q: What state pays Physical Security Specialists the most?

New York pays Physical Security Specialists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $112,490 per year, or $54.08 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a physical security specialist?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a physical security specialist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Jersey you should be paid close to $112,022 per year.

Quoted expert

Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.

Average physical security specialist salary

$74,038

$35.6 hourly rate

Entry-level physical security specialist salary

$48,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding the Physical Security Specialist Salary

The salary of a Physical Security Specialist averages around $74,038 annually, translating to approximately $36 per hour. Compensation can vary significantly based on location, experience, and specific industry sectors. For example, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to increased cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.

Physical Security Specialists are crucial in numerous industries, including corporate security, government facilities, and healthcare. Their responsibilities often include developing security protocols, conducting risk assessments, and managing surveillance systems. With the rise in security concerns, the job market for these specialists is expected to grow, providing ample opportunities.

When considering a career in this field, it's essential to stay informed about salary trends and local job markets. Resources like Zippia provide valuable insights into average salaries by state and industry. By understanding where and how you can earn more, you can better position yourself for success in your career.

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Physical security specialist salary by:

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Where can a Physical Security Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location

143k

123k

103k

83k

63k

43k

Columbus, OH$112,580

Charlotte, NC$72,579

Compare salary by company

128k

108k

88k

68k

48k

Amazon$102,341

Leidos$77,824

Physical security specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and SalaryExpert, the average salary for a physical security specialist typically falls between $68,784 and $84,739.

zippia

$74,038yearly

glassdoor[1]

$84,739yearly

Salary.com[2]

$68,784yearly

SalaryExpert[3]

$72,601yearly

Average physical security specialist salary by state

The highest-paying states for physical security specialists are New York, New Jersey, and Maine. The lowest average physical security specialist salary states are Montana, Missouri, and South Dakota.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for physical security specialists

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York	$112,490	$54.08
2	New Jersey	$112,022	$53.86
3	Rhode Island	$90,112	$43.32
4	Maine	$102,939	$49.49
5	Vermont	$88,590	$42.59
6	Illinois	$88,978	$42.78
7	Michigan	$92,508	$44.48
8	Arizona	$86,067	$41.38
9	West Virginia	$80,247	$38.58
10	Connecticut	$89,103	$42.84
11	Delaware	$85,790	$41.25
12	Iowa	$82,733	$39.78
13	New Hampshire	$90,125	$43.33
14	Texas	$87,115	$41.88
15	Virginia	$92,434	$44.44
16	Washington	$89,603	$43.08
17	New Mexico	$81,032	$38.96
18	District of Columbia	$101,442	$48.77
19	Indiana	$80,581	$38.74
20	Massachusetts	$90,279	$43.40
21	Pennsylvania	$77,401	$37.21
22	Wisconsin	$82,842	$39.83
23	Kansas	$80,052	$38.49
24	Nevada	$76,014	$36.55
25	North Carolina	$74,534	$35.83
26	Georgia	$76,398	$36.73
27	Idaho	$80,386	$38.65
28	Tennessee	$76,316	$36.69
29	Oklahoma	$75,607	$36.35
30	Maryland	$84,071	$40.42
31	Wyoming	$65,346	$31.42
32	Arkansas	$75,030	$36.07
33	Alabama	$68,337	$32.85
34	Minnesota	$71,958	$34.60
35	Kentucky	$71,254	$34.26
36	California	$78,972	$37.97
37	Mississippi	$59,749	$28.73
38	Ohio	$68,949	$33.15
39	Louisiana	$60,984	$29.32
40	Alaska	$55,832	$26.84
41	Florida	$69,768	$33.54
42	South Carolina	$60,982	$29.32
43	North Dakota	$60,635	$29.15
44	Oregon	$68,184	$32.78
45	Nebraska	$55,958	$26.90
46	Missouri	$57,294	$27.55
47	South Dakota	$56,849	$27.33
48	Montana	$58,877	$28.31
49	Utah	$62,961	$30.27
50	Colorado	$63,105	$30.34
51	Hawaii	$48,354	$23.25

Top physical security specialist jobs near you

Highest paying cities for physical security specialists

The highest-paying cities for physical security specialists are New York, NY, Newark, NJ, and Portland, ME.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York, NY	$112,580	$54.13
2	Newark, NJ	$112,443	$54.06
3	Portland, ME	$103,632	$49.82
4	Washington, DC	$101,550	$48.82
5	Springfield, VA	$96,244	$46.27
6	Detroit, MI	$93,501	$44.95
7	Boston, MA	$90,489	$43.50
8	Providence, RI	$90,246	$43.39
9	Chicago, IL	$89,746	$43.15
10	New Haven, CT	$89,204	$42.89
11	Houston, TX	$87,108	$41.88
12	Phoenix, AZ	$86,293	$41.49
13	Wilmington, DE	$86,065	$41.38
14	Baltimore, MD	$84,613	$40.68
15	Santa Clara, CA	$83,939	$40.36
16	Oak Ridge, TN	$78,233	$37.61
17	Philadelphia, PA	$77,942	$37.47
18	Atlanta, GA	$76,250	$36.66
19	Tulsa, OK	$74,459	$35.80
20	Charlotte, NC	$72,579	$34.89

Physical security specialist salary details

A physical security specialist's salary ranges from $48,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $114,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average physical security specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a physical security specialist's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$114,000	$9,500	$55
75th Percentile	$92,000	$7,667	$44
Average	$74,038	$6,170	$36
25th Percentile	$58,000	$4,833	$28
10th Percentile	$48,000	$4,000	$23

How would you rate the starting salaries for physical security specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Rowan University

Educators are not paid nearly enough. However, working in a state with strong teachers' unions helps to ensure a starting salary that recent graduates can live off of and growth opportunities, albeit modest, over their careers.

Top companies hiring physical security specialists now:

Which companies pay physical security specialists the most?

Physical security specialist salaries at Amazon and Parsons are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average physical security specialist salary at companies like TD Bank and Fanatics are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Amazon	$102,341	$49.20
2	Parsons	$96,622	$46.45
3	TD Bank	$96,554	$46.42
4	Fanatics	$94,640	$45.50
5	Internal Revenue Service	$92,100	$44.28
6	Froedtert Hospital	$91,907	$44.19
7	Umpqua Bank	$88,678	$42.63
8	ProSync	$87,310	$41.98
9	USAA	$86,286	$41.48
10	Precise Systems	$83,975	$40.37
11	The PNC Financial Services Group	$83,618	$40.20
12	Allen Institute	$83,420	$40.11
13	The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory	$83,367	$40.08
14	Zayo Group	$82,571	$39.70
15	U.S. Department of State	$81,271	$39.07
16	U.S. Secret Service	$80,211	$38.56
17	HRL Laboratories	$80,190	$38.55
18	DigitalGlobe	$79,109	$38.03
19	Department of Homeland Security	$78,732	$37.85
20	Leidos	$77,824	$37.42

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$76,000$74,200$72,400$70,600$68,800$67,000

MaleFemale

Physical security specialist salary trends

The average physical security specialist salary has risen by $10,897 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average physical security specialist earned $63,141 annually, but today, they earn $74,038 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for physical security specialists over the last decade.

Compare physical security specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average physical security specialist salary over time

Compare physical security specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Physical security specialist salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$74,000	$35.60	+3.8%
2024	$71,200	$34.24	+2.3%
2023	$69,600	$33.44	+0.7%
2022	$69,000	$33.19	+1.4%
2021	$68,100	$32.73	+1.3%

Recently added physical security specialist salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Unlimited Technology	Physical Security Specialist	Rochester, NY	06/29/2025	$65,000
Amazon	Physical Security Specialist, Spear Evaluations, US Amazon Dedicated Cloud	Enon, VA	06/28/2025	$91,800
Amazon	Physical Security Specialist, Spear Evaluations, US Amazon Dedicated Cloud	Seattle, WA	06/27/2025	$91,800
City National Corporation	Physical Security Specialist I	Los Angeles, CA	06/27/2025	$33,392
Integrated Security Technologies	Physical Security Specialist	Rochester, NY	06/27/2025	$65,000
Legislative Branch	Lead Physical Security Specialist	Washington, DC	06/27/2025	$144,735
Subsidium, Inc.	Lead Physical Security Specialist	Washington, DC	06/27/2025	$80,000
Department of Veterans Affairs	Physical Security Specialist	Shreveport, LA	06/26/2025	$61,111
Executive Office of The President	Physical Security Specialist	Washington, DC	06/26/2025	$61,111
Booz Allen Hamilton	Physical Security Specialist, Senior	Durham, NC	06/25/2025	$69,400

Physical security specialist salary FAQs

What state pays Physical Security Specialists the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a physical security specialist?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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