Protective Service Workers, All Other Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of other protective service workers to grow 3.0% from 2025 to 2035 (about 2,400 more jobs), with about 22,600 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $42,540 a year ranks 697th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +3.0%
- Openings a year
- 22,600
- Median pay
- $42,540
- Pay rank
- 697th of 825
Is employment of other protective service workers growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of other protective service workers to rise 3.0% (about 2,400 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the +1.1% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 24 protective service occupations with a projection. That change ranks 393rd of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 82,100 |
| Employment, 2035 | 84,600 |
| Projected change | +3.0% |
| Openings a year | 22,600 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 82,100 jobs here differ from the 81,500 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 22,600 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 150th most of 830 occupations. About 99% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 240 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for other protective service workers rank?
The median of $42,540 a year ranks 697th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Typical on-the-job training: short-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Detectives and Investigators | +5.5% | 3,200 | $51,220 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers | +3.7% | 6,800 | $55,940 |
| Security Guards | +0.9% | 156,000 | $38,020 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | +0.2% | 7,800 | $93,790 |
| Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators | -1.8% | 1,100 | $43,370 |
| Managers, All Other | +4.9% | 100,900 | $141,900 |
| Facilities Managers | +4.6% | 14,200 | $106,660 |
| Financial Risk Specialists | +7.4% | 4,800 | $117,330 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.