Protective Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 33-1091

First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers

The published band from $37,300 to $92,260 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Detectives and Criminal Investigators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers: Detectives and Criminal Investigators ($94K) , Parking Enforcement Workers ($47K) , Firefighters ($59K) , Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers ($76K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 33-1091 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Investigate disturbances on the premises, such as security alarms, altercations, and suspicious activity
  2. 2. Patrol the premises to prevent or detect intrusion, protect property, or preserve order
  3. 3. Monitor and authorize entry of employees, visitors, or other persons
  4. 4. Secure entrances and exits by locking doors and gates
  5. 5. Write reports documenting observations made while on patrol
  6. 6. Monitor the behavior of security employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, or procedures
  7. 7. Advise employees in handling problems or resolving complaints from customers, tenants, detainees, or other persons
  8. 8. Recruit, interview, and hire security personnel
  9. 9. Assign security personnel to posts or patrols
  10. 10. Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire, bomb threats, and presence of unauthorized persons
  11. 11. Apprehend or evict trespassers, rule violators, or other security threats from the premises
  12. 12. Screen individuals and belongings to prevent passage of prohibited materials using walkthrough detectors, wands, or bag searches

First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 33-1091 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.0
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  3. 3. Speaking 3.9
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.9
  5. 5. Judgment and Decision Making 3.9
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.8
  7. 7. Management of Personnel Resources 3.8
  8. 8. Writing 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.9
  2. 2. Administration and Management 4.6
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  4. 4. Personnel and Human Resources 4.4
  5. 5. Law and Government 4.4
  6. 6. English Language 4.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$37,300 to $92,260
median $55,940 · ~2.5× spread
$56K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
7,000
Annual openings
81,480
Estimated US jobs
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Highest-pay peer · $94K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers

1. Indiana $61,520
2. New Mexico $62,330
3. Washington $62,510
4. Maryland $63,690
5. Alaska $73,500
6. District of Columbia $83,710
7. New Jersey $61,590
8. New Hampshire $66,780
9. Vermont $78,110
10. Delaware $62,840

Other Protective Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Detectives and Criminal Investigators $93,790
  2. 2. Firefighters $59,280
  3. 3. Parking Enforcement Workers $46,730
  4. 4. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $76,210
  5. 5. Transit and Railroad Police $90,230
  6. 6. First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other $76,400

The OEWS band for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers runs from $37,300 (10th) to $92,260 (90th), about 2.5× wide, with median $55,940. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 7,000 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Indiana at $61,520. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Detectives and Criminal Investigators at $93,790. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers pay-rank #15 in Protective Service Occupations

First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers sits at pay-rank #15 of 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 33-1091 · national median $55,940 · middle third of Protective Service Occupations (#15/24). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 33-1091

Indiana · top state for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers

$62K published median

New Mexico · #2 state pay

$62K · behind Indiana

Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Highest-pay peer vs First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers · $94K

Parking Enforcement Workers

Lower-pay peer beside First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers · $47K

Compare First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers mid-table among Protective Service Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #15 of 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Bailiffs ($57K), Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists ($57K), Correctional Officers and Jailers ($59K), Firefighters ($59K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do first-line supervisors of security workers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers. Leading ones include: Investigate disturbances on the premises, such as security alarms, altercations, and suspicious activity; Patrol the premises to prevent or detect intrusion, protect property, or preserve order; Monitor and authorize entry of employees, visitors, or other persons; Secure entrances and exits by locking doors and gates. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for first-line supervisors of security workers? ▼
For SOC 33-1091, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Reading Comprehension (3.9), Speaking (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $37,300 and the 90th at $92,260 for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers (2.5× spread). The national median is $55,940. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 7,000. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers? ▼
Indiana ($61,520), New Mexico ($62,330), Washington ($62,510) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 33-1091. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics