Fire Protection

Contains Stem Majors

Add Comparison
    Total Degrees​
    Awarded in 2024
    15,202
    growing 12.3%
    Median In-State​
    Public Tuition
    $3,713
    growing 7.62%
    Median Out-of-State​
    Private Tuition
    $33,770
    growing 4%
    Average Wage
    $82,826
    growing 3.07%
    People in Workforce
    1.3M
    growing 3.17%
    Average Employee Age
    40.4
    growing 0.628%

    About

    In 2024, the locations with the highest concentration of Fire Protection degree recipients are Orange Beach, AL, Santa Ana, CA, and Orem, UT. In 2024, the locations with a relatively high number of Fire Protection degree recipients are Canfield, OH, Bethel, OH, and Orange Beach, AL. The most common degree awarded to students studying Fire Protection is a certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years.

    Institutions

    Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Fire Protection and the types of students that study this field. Columbia Southern University awards the most degrees in Fire Protection in the US, but Mahoning County Career and Technical Center and Pike County Joint Vocational School District have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Fire Protection.

    Tuition costs for Fire Protection majors are, on average, $3,713 for in-state public colleges, and $33,770 for out of state private colleges.

    The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Fire Protection programs are Public, 2-year institutions (296 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 2-year (6,251 completions).

    Institutions

    Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Fire Protection (2024)
    1. 1,587 degrees awarded
    2. 420 degrees awarded
    3. 287 degrees awarded

    The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Fire Protection, is Public, 2-year (6,251 completions in 2024).

    The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Fire Protection programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

    $3,713
    Median In-State Public
    $33,770
    Median Out of State Private

    Columbia Southern University has the most Fire Protection degree recipients, with 1,587 degrees awarded in 2024.

    The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Fire Protection.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Specialized Colleges

    Out of all institutions that offer Fire Protection programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Mahoning County Career and Technical Center has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Fire Protection, with 56.3%.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Degrees Awarded by County

    Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Fire Protection
    1. 1,587 degrees awarded
    2. 784 degrees awarded
    3. 420 degrees awarded

    This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Fire Protection by year.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Employment

    Information on the businesses and industries that employ Protective Services graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

    The average salary for Protective Services majors is $82,826 and the most common occupations are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

    The industry that employs the most Protective Services majors is Justice, public order, & safety activities , though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Not specified metal industries.

    Yearly Income for Common Jobs

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
    $82,826
    Average Wage in Workforce
    ± $1,609
    3.07%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.68%

    The average salary for Protective Services majors is $82,826 and the most common occupations are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

    This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Protective Services majors.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Highest Paying Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Protective Services majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Protective Services majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

    The most common occupations for Protective Services majors, by number of employees, are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Most Specialized

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

    The highest paid occupations by median income for Protective Services majors are Podiatrists, Surgeons, and Physicians.

    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Occupations by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
    1.3M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 27,827
    3.17%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.97%

    The number of Protective Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.17%, from 1.26M in 2023 to 1.3M in 2024.

    The largest single share of Protective Services graduates go on to work as Police officers (10.5%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Protective Services by share of the total number of graduates.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

    The most common industries that employ Protective Services majors, by number of employees, are Justice, public order, & safety activities , Elementary & secondary schools, and Legal services.

    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
    View Data
    Save Image
    View Data
    Save Image

    Industries by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
    1.3M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 27,827
    3.17%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.97%

    The number of Protective Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.17%, from 1.26M in 2023 to 1.3M in 2024.

    The industry which employs the most Protective Services graduates by share is Justice, public order, & safety activities , followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Protective Services.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Specialty Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Protective Services majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Protective Services majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Diversity

    Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Protective Services in the United States.

    The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Protective Services is 40.4.

    The most common degree type these workers hold is a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years. Male employees are more likely to hold Protective Services degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Protective Services (9,430 students).

    Workforce Age

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
    40.4
    Average Age in 2024
    ± 0.252 Years
    0.628%
    1 Year Change
    ± 0.884%

    This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Protective Services. The most common ages of employees with this major are 31 and 32 years old, which represent 3.31% and 3.21% of the population, respectively.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Degrees Awarded

    The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Fire Protection are Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Associates Degree, and Bachelors Degree.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Workforce Degrees

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

    The most common degree types held by the working population in Protective Services are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

    Male (88.6%)
    Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

    This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Fire Protection.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

    Degrees
    Most Common Race or Ethnicity
    1. White
      9,430 degrees awarded in 2024
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      3,403 degrees awarded in 2024
    3. Black or African American
      709 degrees awarded in 2024

    This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Fire Protection for each race & ethnicity.

    In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Race & Ethnicity by Sex

    Degrees
    Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
    1. White Male
      2,222 degrees awarded
    2. Hispanic or Latino Male
      666 degrees awarded
    3. White Female
      263 degrees awarded

    This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Associates Degree recipients in Fire Protection.

    White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Global Diversity

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Fire Protection is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.
    Most Common Countries of Origin
    1. Mexico
      15,844 degree recipients
    2. India
      5,317 degree recipients
    3. Dominican Republic
      4,182 degree recipients
    High Relative Number of Students
    1. Caribbean, Not Specified
      7.97 times more than expected
    2. Dominica
      7.25 times more than expected
    3. Zambia
      6.02 times more than expected

    There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Caribbean, Not Specified that hold Protective Services degrees (7.97 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (15,844 degree recipients).

    View Data
    Save Image

    Skills

    Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Fire Protection field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fire Protection majors need many skills, but most especially Writing. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Fire Protection majors need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis, Systems Analysis, and Systems Evaluation.

    These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Fire Protection majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operations Analysis is very distinctive for majors, but the Writing, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.

    View Data
    Save Image

    Bar Chart

    View Data
    Save Image