Security Specialist Salary
Average Security Specialist Salary
$49,892yearly
How much does a Security Specialist make?
Security specialists make $49,892 per year on average, or $23.99 per hour, in the United States. Security specialists on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $25,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $98,000.
Location impacts how much a security specialist can expect to make. Security specialists make the most in New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland, and Rhode Island.
Highest Paying States For Security Specialists
The darker areas on the map show where security specialists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
- State View
- County View
Security Specialist average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $92,308 | $44.38 | 307 |
| 2 | New York | $82,041 | $39.44 | 2,275 |
| 3 | Delaware | $66,327 | $31.89 | 288 |
| 4 | Virginia | $78,427 | $37.71 | 1,616 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $76,341 | $36.70 | 579 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $64,516 | $31.02 | 1,959 |
| 7 | Alaska | $59,347 | $28.53 | 204 |
| 8 | Maryland | $76,131 | $36.60 | 992 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $70,153 | $33.73 | 190 |
| 10 | Illinois | $57,608 | $27.70 | 2,470 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $68,324 | $32.85 | 1,447 |
| 12 | Texas | $56,484 | $27.16 | 3,490 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $61,995 | $29.81 | 1,317 |
| 14 | California | $55,653 | $26.76 | 6,188 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $54,596 | $26.25 | 1,470 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $52,157 | $25.08 | 913 |
| 17 | Georgia | $49,632 | $23.86 | 2,158 |
| 18 | Vermont | $58,057 | $27.91 | 110 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $50,433 | $24.25 | 535 |
| 20 | Alabama | $46,072 | $22.15 | 891 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $53,283 | $25.62 | 252 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $51,519 | $24.77 | 137 |
| 23 | Washington | $46,918 | $22.56 | 1,345 |
| 24 | Nevada | $44,768 | $21.52 | 404 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $50,003 | $24.04 | 304 |
| 26 | Maine | $51,986 | $24.99 | 170 |
| 27 | Missouri | $49,949 | $24.01 | 896 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $48,482 | $23.31 | 468 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $48,830 | $23.48 | 221 |
| 30 | Arizona | $43,246 | $20.79 | 1,241 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $41,781 | $20.09 | 115 |
| 32 | Ohio | $48,101 | $23.13 | 1,511 |
| 33 | Michigan | $49,434 | $23.77 | 1,018 |
| 34 | Indiana | $44,665 | $21.47 | 1,069 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $48,215 | $23.18 | 974 |
| 36 | Kansas | $45,299 | $21.78 | 454 |
| 37 | Florida | $38,570 | $18.54 | 3,422 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $37,692 | $18.12 | 393 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $44,004 | $21.16 | 823 |
| 40 | Colorado | $41,149 | $19.78 | 1,000 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $31,450 | $15.12 | 257 |
| 42 | Montana | $34,243 | $16.46 | 209 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $39,185 | $18.84 | 406 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $38,308 | $18.42 | 361 |
| 45 | Iowa | $36,849 | $17.72 | 620 |
| 46 | Oregon | $38,799 | $18.65 | 680 |
| 47 | Idaho | $35,573 | $17.10 | 278 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $40,161 | $19.31 | 122 |
| 49 | Utah | $37,709 | $18.13 | 492 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $36,496 | $17.55 | 544 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $38,302 | $18.41 | 642 |
Highest Paying Cities For Security Specialists
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $93,095 | $44.76 |
| 2 | Arlington, VA | $83,178 | $39.99 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $82,292 | $39.56 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $68,070 | $32.73 |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | $65,040 | $31.27 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | $58,321 | $28.04 |
| 7 | San Francisco, CA | $58,183 | $27.97 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $57,414 | $27.60 |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC | $56,523 | $27.17 |
| 10 | Portland, ME | $53,769 | $25.85 |
| 11 | Saint Louis, MO | $50,869 | $24.46 |
| 12 | Detroit, MI | $50,100 | $24.09 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $49,671 | $23.88 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | $48,203 | $23.17 |
| 15 | Seattle, WA | $47,176 | $22.68 |
Security Specialist Salary Details
What is a Security Specialist's Salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $98,000 | $8,167 | $47 |
| 75th Percentile | $71,000 | $5,917 | $34 |
| Average | $49,892 | $4,158 | $24 |
| 25th Percentile | $34,000 | $2,833 | $16 |
| 10th Percentile | $25,000 | $2,083 | $12 |
Average Salary By Related Titles
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol Officer | $35,621 | $2,968 | $17.13 | 123,265 |
| Enforcement Officer | $38,446 | $3,204 | $18.48 | 82,142 |
| Protective Officer | $40,529 | $3,377 | $19.49 | 103,885 |
| Public Safety Officer | $36,596 | $3,050 | $17.59 | 122,048 |
| Community Services Officer | $38,039 | $3,170 | $18.29 | 181,257 |
| Protection Security Officer | $35,926 | $2,994 | $17.27 | 122,427 |
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Security Specialists The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Okta | $146,220 | $70.30 | |
| 2 | Microsoft | $130,227 | $62.61 | 41 |
| 3 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $129,950 | $62.48 | |
| 4 | $128,661 | $61.86 | 23 | |
| 5 | Texas Instruments | $120,834 | $58.09 | 1 |
| 6 | Citi | $118,687 | $57.06 | 79 |
| 7 | Morgan Stanley | $116,160 | $55.85 | 22 |
| 8 | ANSER | $115,790 | $55.67 | 7 |
| 9 | Merrill Lynch | $114,372 | $54.99 | |
| 10 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $112,710 | $54.19 | 94 |
| 11 | Splunk | $111,889 | $53.79 | 64 |
| 12 | McAfee | $111,690 | $53.70 | 2 |
| 13 | American Express | $110,237 | $53.00 | 86 |
| 14 | City National Bank | $107,870 | $51.86 | 4 |
| 15 | Citrix | $107,519 | $51.69 | |
| 16 | Adobe | $106,902 | $51.40 | 1 |
| 17 | Teradata | $106,182 | $51.05 | |
| 18 | Nokia | $105,894 | $50.91 | 11 |
| 19 | Palo Alto Networks | $105,448 | $50.70 | 41 |
| 20 | ConocoPhillips | $104,799 | $50.38 | 2 |
Security Specialist Salary Trends
Average Security Specialist Salary Over Time
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Security Specialist Salary By Year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $49,900 | $23.99 | +4.4% |
| 2021 | $47,700 | $22.93 | +4.0% |
| 2020 | $45,800 | $22.01 | +5.6% |
| 2019 | $43,200 | $20.78 | +4.2% |
| 2018 | $41,400 | $19.91 | +4.4% |
Recently Added Security Specialist Salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Dynamics | Advanced Security Specialist (Cpso/FSO) | Herndon, VA | 07/26/2022 | $105,000 |
| Spectrum | Security Specialist I-Law Enforcement Response Team | Denver, CO | 07/26/2022 | $41,600 |
| Allied Universal | Security Specialist | Rutland, VT | 07/26/2022 | $33,392 |
| Allied Universal | Security Specialist | Chandler, AZ | 07/26/2022 | $34,436 |
| Job Listingsallied Universal | Security Professional-Screening Specialist | Dickinson, ND | 07/26/2022 | $39,653 |
| General Dynamics | Program Security Specialist-Alternate Cpso/Persec | Bloomington, MN | 07/26/2022 | $70,500 |
| Gardaworld | Evening Security Specialist | Nashville, TN | 07/25/2022 | $35,479 |
| Walnut LLC | Security Specialist | Long Beach, CA | 07/25/2022 | $45,914 |
| Wegmans Food Markets | Store Security Coordinator | Syracuse, NY | 07/25/2022 | $52,175 |
| State of North Carolina | Safety and Security Coordinator | Manteo, NC | 07/25/2022 | $31,200 |
Security Specialist Salaries FAQs
What state pays Security Specialists the most?
New York pays Security Specialists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $92,308 per year, or $44.38 per hour.
How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a Security Specialist?
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Security Specialist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New York you should be paid close to $82,041 per year.
What type of Security Specialist gets paid the most?
Protection Specialist gets paid the most. Protection Specialist made a median salary of $76,307. The best-paid 10 percent make $96,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $60,000.
How much does a Target security specialist get paid?
A Target security specialist gets paid an average of $70,000 per year in the United States. The salary of a Target security specialist can vary greatly per state.
In some states, a Target security specialist can make as little as $36,000 per year. Whereas, in some states, a Target security specialist can make over $100,000 per year.
How much money does a security specialist make?
A security specialist makes between $50,000 and $145,000 a year. How much money a security specialist makes specifically depends on which security specialist field you are in.
A physical security specialist can make anywhere between $60,000 and just over $100,000 per year. The estimated entry-level physical security specialist salary is $40,000. The average salary is closer to $70,000 per year at mid-level, with higher-level physical security specialists making $90,000 to $100,000 per year.
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