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The differences between security specialists and assets protection specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a security specialist has an average salary of $49,892, which is higher than the $42,374 average annual salary of an assets protection specialist.
The top three skills for a security specialist include ladders, security incidents and physical security. The most important skills for an assets protection specialist are CCTV, physical security, and exception reports.
| Security Specialist | Assets Protection Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,892 | $42,374 |
| Hourly rate | $23.99 | $20.37 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 96,226 | 83,267 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 43 | 33 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A security specialist is responsible for maintaining the security of an organization's database, ensuring that it's free from cyber threats and unusual activities. Security specialists' duties include upgrading hardware and software applications, configuring networks to improve optimization, addressing any unauthorized access on the database, troubleshooting system discrepancies, conducting security audits on the system, and improving automated processes. A security specialist must have a strong command of programming languages and system codes, as well as broad experience with technical expertise.
An assets protection specialist is an individual who is responsible for implementing safety and environmental programs to their assigned store or multiple stores as well as prevent financial loss caused by theft and fraud. Asset protection specialists are required to monitor the store's physical security and audit electronic article surveillance. They also prepare accurate and detailed case reports and interact with law enforcement as well as testify in criminal and civil court actions. Asset protection specialists must also report any hazardous or unsafe condition to the manager on duty.
Security specialists and assets protection specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Specialist | Assets Protection Specialist | |
| Average salary | $49,892 | $42,374 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $98,000 | Between $22,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Arlington, VA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Okta | Credit Suisse |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between a security specialist and an assets protection specialist in terms of educational background:
| Security Specialist | Assets Protection Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between security specialists' and assets protection specialists' demographics:
| Security Specialist | Assets Protection Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 33 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 5.8% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |