Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between security agents and officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an officer has an average salary of $52,506, which is higher than the $35,179 average annual salary of a security agent.
The top three skills for a security agent include customer service, patrol and emergency situations. The most important skills for an officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.
| Security Agent | Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $35,179 | $52,506 |
| Hourly rate | $16.91 | $25.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 125,019 | 114,267 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Security Agents guard the entrance and exit of a building, watching CCTV footage for unusual activities, and holding trespassers until authorities arrive. Being a security agent is usually a shift-based job and can sometimes last overnight. Security Agents must have first aid knowledge and basic skills with self-defense.
An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises. They also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in conducting appropriate investigations for any violating cases. An officer must be highly-knowledgeable of the law policies, as well as possessing excellent leadership skills to manage the members under the officer's patrol.
Security agents and officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Agent | Officer | |
| Average salary | $35,179 | $52,506 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $52,000 | Between $26,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Inter-Con Security Systems | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a security agent and an officer in terms of educational background:
| Security Agent | Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between security agents' and officers' demographics:
| Security Agent | Officer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 5.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 15.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |