Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
33-0000 Protective Service Occupations (Major Group)
Protective Service Occupations comprises the following occupations:
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers;
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives;
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers;
Miscellaneous First-Line Supervisors, Protective Service Workers;
Firefighters;
Fire Inspectors and Investigators;
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists;
Bailiffs;
Correctional Officers and Jailers;
Detectives and Criminal Investigators;
Fish and Game Wardens;
Parking Enforcement Workers;
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers;
Transit and Railroad Police;
Animal Control Workers;
Private Detectives and Investigators;
Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators;
Security Guards;
Crossing Guards and Flaggers;
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers;
Transportation Security Screeners;
School Bus Monitors and Protective Service Workers, All Other
National estimates for Protective Service Occupations
Industry profile for Protective Service Occupations
Geographic profile for Protective Service Occupations
National estimates for Protective Service Occupations:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Protective Service Occupations:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 3,351,180 |
0.4 % |
$ 25.11 |
$ 52,220 |
0.7 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Protective Service Occupations:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 11.88 |
$ 14.82 |
$ 21.02 |
$ 31.77 |
$ 45.20 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 24,710 |
$ 30,820 |
$ 43,710 |
$ 66,090 |
$ 94,020 |
Industry profile for Protective Service Occupations:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Protective Service Occupations are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Protective Service Occupations, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Protective Service Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
1,381,700 |
25.57 |
$ 30.86 |
$ 64,190 |
| Investigation and Security Services |
721,290 |
78.17 |
$ 16.29 |
$ 33,880 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
384,200 |
17.47 |
$ 29.37 |
$ 61,100 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
143,710 |
6.91 |
$ 35.14 |
$ 73,100 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
112,620 |
1.37 |
$ 16.91 |
$ 35,180 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Protective Service Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Investigation and Security Services |
721,290 |
78.17 |
$ 16.29 |
$ 33,880 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
1,381,700 |
25.57 |
$ 30.86 |
$ 64,190 |
| Facilities Support Services |
33,320 |
20.69 |
$ 21.33 |
$ 44,380 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
384,200 |
17.47 |
$ 29.37 |
$ 61,100 |
| Other Support Services |
47,570 |
15.95 |
$ 17.75 |
$ 36,910 |
Top paying industries for Protective Service Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services |
340 |
0.03 |
$ 53.56 |
$ 111,400 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
80 |
0.08 |
$ 46.69 |
$ 97,100 |
| Postal Service (federal government) |
1,340 |
0.21 |
$ 39.42 |
$ 81,990 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
143,710 |
6.91 |
$ 35.14 |
$ 73,100 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing |
1,830 |
0.35 |
$ 33.93 |
$ 70,570 |
Geographic profile for Protective Service Occupations:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Protective Service Occupations are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Protective Service Occupations, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Protective Service Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
401,540 |
24.44 |
1.01 |
$ 31.24 |
$ 64,990 |
| New York |
294,130 |
33.84 |
1.40 |
$ 29.28 |
$ 60,910 |
| Texas |
292,110 |
24.14 |
1.00 |
$ 23.39 |
$ 48,660 |
| Florida |
235,510 |
27.90 |
1.16 |
$ 21.98 |
$ 45,710 |
| Illinois |
133,470 |
23.72 |
0.98 |
$ 27.53 |
$ 57,260 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Protective Service Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
28,200 |
41.03 |
1.70 |
$ 33.83 |
$ 70,360 |
| New York |
294,130 |
33.84 |
1.40 |
$ 29.28 |
$ 60,910 |
| Hawaii |
18,910 |
32.94 |
1.37 |
$ 26.48 |
$ 55,070 |
| Nevada |
39,750 |
31.78 |
1.32 |
$ 23.26 |
$ 48,370 |
| New Mexico |
24,400 |
31.05 |
1.29 |
$ 21.33 |
$ 44,380 |
Top paying states for Protective Service Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
28,200 |
41.03 |
1.70 |
$ 33.83 |
$ 70,360 |
| California |
401,540 |
24.44 |
1.01 |
$ 31.24 |
$ 64,990 |
| Washington |
63,910 |
20.00 |
0.83 |
$ 30.45 |
$ 63,330 |
| New Jersey |
108,990 |
28.81 |
1.20 |
$ 30.30 |
$ 63,020 |
| Alaska |
8,340 |
28.13 |
1.17 |
$ 30.12 |
$ 62,650 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Protective Service Occupations:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
299,310 |
33.88 |
1.41 |
$ 29.82 |
$ 62,030 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
148,980 |
25.59 |
1.06 |
$ 30.29 |
$ 63,010 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
105,340 |
24.15 |
1.00 |
$ 27.64 |
$ 57,490 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
84,790 |
28.06 |
1.16 |
$ 30.45 |
$ 63,330 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
84,680 |
33.77 |
1.40 |
$ 23.70 |
$ 49,290 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
73,530 |
20.49 |
0.85 |
$ 23.98 |
$ 49,870 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
72,260 |
24.34 |
1.01 |
$ 22.31 |
$ 46,400 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
68,640 |
25.45 |
1.06 |
$ 25.24 |
$ 52,500 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
60,620 |
23.02 |
0.96 |
$ 21.18 |
$ 44,060 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
55,780 |
21.44 |
0.89 |
$ 30.09 |
$ 62,590 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Protective Service Occupations:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA |
3,670 |
86.06 |
3.57 |
$ 40.77 |
$ 84,800 |
| Pine Bluff, AR |
2,240 |
79.48 |
3.30 |
$ 18.26 |
$ 37,980 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ |
2,310 |
72.95 |
3.03 |
$ 29.32 |
$ 60,990 |
| The Villages, FL |
1,940 |
64.57 |
2.68 |
$ 20.17 |
$ 41,950 |
| El Centro, CA |
3,690 |
64.21 |
2.67 |
$ 35.03 |
$ 72,860 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ |
2,560 |
50.76 |
2.11 |
$ 20.95 |
$ 43,580 |
| Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ |
2,860 |
50.00 |
2.08 |
$ 33.10 |
$ 68,840 |
| Yuma, AZ |
3,020 |
49.83 |
2.07 |
$ 25.89 |
$ 53,860 |
| Michigan City-La Porte, IN |
1,790 |
46.37 |
1.92 |
$ 18.99 |
$ 39,510 |
| Kingston, NY |
2,540 |
46.32 |
1.92 |
$ 29.30 |
$ 60,940 |
United States Department of Labor
