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The differences between security officers 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 $31,101 average annual salary of a security officer.
The top three skills for a security officer include customer service, ladders and patrol. The most important skills for an officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.
| Security Officer | Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $31,101 | $52,506 |
| Hourly rate | $14.95 | $25.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 125,879 | 114,267 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A security officer is responsible for maintaining the peace and safety of everyone by regularly patrolling and monitoring surveillance equipment within the assigned premises. Security officers' duties also include reporting suspicious behaviors, restricting trespassers and unauthorized personnel from entering the establishment, providing incident reports for policy violations, and adhering to the standard protocols and legal requirements set by the management. Security offers must also have excellent decision-making and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of emergency drills in case any unfortunate circumstances arise.
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 officers and officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Officer | Officer | |
| Average salary | $31,101 | $52,506 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $26,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Battelle | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | - |
There are a few differences between a security officer and an officer in terms of educational background:
| Security Officer | Officer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between security officers' and officers' demographics:
| Security Officer | Officer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.5% 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% |