Protective Services

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

149,913

declining 2.13%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$5,517

growing 3.87%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$27,000

growing 2.21%

Average Wage

$63,414

growing 1.48%

People in Workforce

1.1M

growing 1.78%

Average Employee Age

39.6

growing 0.736%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Protective Services degree recipients are New York, NY, Tempe, AZ, and North Highlands, CA. The locations with a relatively high number of Protective Services degree recipients are Baraga, MI, Canfield, OH, and Groveport, OH. The most common degree awarded to students studying Protective Services is a bachelors degree.

Photo by Elvert Barnes

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Protective Services and the types of students that study this field. University of Phoenix-Arizona awards the most degrees in Protective Services in the US, but Greene County Vocational School District and Caribbean Forensic and Technical College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Protective Services.

Tuition costs for Protective Services majors are, on average, $5,517 for in-state public colleges, and $27,000 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Protective Services programs are Public, 2-year institutions (776 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (54,190 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Protective Services

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Protective Services, is Public, 4-year or above (54,190 completions).

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

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$5,517

Median In-State Public

$27,000

Median Out of State Private

University of Phoenix-Arizona has the most Protective Services degree recipients, with 2,218 degrees awarded in 2017.

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

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Protective Services programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Greene County Vocational School District and Caribbean Forensic and Technical College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Protective Services, with 100% and 100%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Protective Services

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

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Protective Services.

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 $63,414 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 Miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$63,414

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,231

1.48%

1 Year Growth

± 2.76%

The average salary for Protective Services majors is $63,414 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.

Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas

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.

Occupations

Occupations by Share

1.1M

2018 Workforce

± 25,691

1.78%

1 Year Growth

± 3.25%

The number of Protective Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.78%, from 1.08M in 2017 to 1.1M in 2018.

The largest single share of Protective Services graduates go on to work as Police officers (10.7%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Protective Services by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

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.

Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Protective Services majors, by average wage, are Miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing, Plastics product manufacturing, and Support activities for mining.

Industries by Share

1.1M

2018 Workforce

± 25,691

1.78%

1 Year Growth

± 3.25%

The number of Protective Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.78%, from 1.08M in 2017 to 1.1M in 2018.

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.

Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Protective Services majors

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

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Protective Services in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Protective Services is 39.6, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Protective Services degrees, and White students earn the majority (75,669) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

39.6

Average Age in 2018

± 0.274 Years

0.736%

1 Year Change

± 0.969%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Protective Services. The most common ages of employees with this major are 28 and 27 years old, which represent 3.6% and 3.57% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Protective Services are Bachelors Degree, Associates Degree, and < 1 Year Postsecondary Certificate.

Workforce Degrees

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

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (58.1%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Protective Services.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
75,669 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
34,267 degrees awarded
Black or African American
23,462 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Protective Services for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Male
17,838 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded
White Female
12,806 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
6,987 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Protective Services. White Male students, who earn most of the degree-grads_ethnicity_genders in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

Mexico
10,450 degree recipients
India
4,861 degree recipients
Dominican Republic
3,369 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Laos
4.15 times more than expected
England
3.15 times more than expected
Trinidad & Tobago
2.43 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Laos that hold Protective Services degrees (4.15 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 (10,450 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Protective Services field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Protective Services majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Protective Services majors need more than the average amount of Management of Personnel Resources, Systems Analysis, and Monitoring.

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 Protective Services 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 Management of Personnel Resources is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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