Security guards & gaming surveillance officers

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2019 Workforce

1.01M

Average Age

41.9

Average Salary

$34,270

Average Male Salary

$35,393

Average Female Salary

$30,877

About

Security guards & gaming surveillance officers are most often employed by the Investigation & security services industry. The average yearly wage for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers was $34,270 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Security guards & gaming surveillance officers by wage are Merchandise displayers and window trimmers, Painters & paperhangers, and Coin, vending, & amusement machine servicers & repairers.

Security guards & gaming surveillance officers are part of the Protective service occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of correctional officers, Firstline supervisors of police & detectives, Firstline supervisors of fire fighting & prevention workers, Miscellaneous first-line supervisors, protective service workers, Firefighters, and 13 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Security guards & gaming surveillance officers are St. Clair County (Northwest, Southwest & Southeast) PUMA, IL, Philadelphia City (East) PUMA, PA, and Richmond County PUMA, GA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers are St. Clair County (Northwest, Southwest & Southeast) PUMA, IL, San Juan Municipio (Este) PUMA, PR, and Miami Gardens City (North & West) PUMA, FL.

Photo by U.S. Department of the Interior

Service Occupations Protective service occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Security guards & gaming surveillance officers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Investigation & security services is the industry that employs the most Security guards & gaming surveillance officers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers, by average wage, is Computer Systems Design. Security guards & gaming surveillance officers are paid most in Clay, Sullivan, Parke, Fountain, Vermillion & Warren Counties PUMA, IN but are relatively concentrated in St. Clair County (Northwest, Southwest & Southeast) PUMA, IL.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$34,270

AVERAGE SALARY

± $825

In 2019, Security guards & gaming surveillance officers earned an average of $34,270, $21,254 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Merchandise displayers and window trimmers make somewhat more than Security guards & gaming surveillance officers while Coin, vending, & amusement machine servicers & repairers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Security guards & gaming surveillance officers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.4

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Security guards & gaming surveillance officers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.4, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Security guards & gaming surveillance officers, by number of employees, are Investigation & security services, Amusement & Recreation, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Elementary & secondary schools, National security & international affairs, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Traveler accommodation, Clothing stores, and Museums, art galleries, historical sites, & similar institutions.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers, by average wage, are Computer Systems Design, Public finance activities, and Farming.

Industries by Share

1.01M

2019 Workforce

± 24,646

3.93%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.34%

The number of people employed as Security guards & gaming surveillance officers has been growing at a rate of 3.93%, from 976,105 people in 2018 to 1,014,489 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers employed by various industries. Investigation & security services employs the largest share of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers at 52.8%, followed by Amusement & Recreation with 5.02% and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 3.39%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Security guards & gaming surveillance officers in the US. The average age of male Security guards & gaming surveillance officers in the workforce is 42.5 and of female Security guards & gaming surveillance officers is 39.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

762k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 21,381

252k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 12,321

75.1% of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

40.8% of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 33.4% of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

Age by Gender

42.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.457

39.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.732

The median age of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers is 41.9, and Male employees are generally 2.56 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers is Protective Services but a relatively high number of Security guards & gaming surveillance officers hold a major in Protective Services.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Security guards & gaming surveillance officers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Security guards & gaming surveillance officers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Security guards & gaming surveillance officers need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Operation Monitoring, and Monitoring.