Average Armed Security Officer Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Armed Security Officer salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Armed Security Officer Make in United States?

An Armed Security Officer working in United States will typically earn around 68,200 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 32,600 USD to the highest average salary of 109,700 USD.

Average Annual Salary
68,200 USD
Average Monthly Salary
5,683 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
32,600 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,716 USD

Highest Annual Salary
109,700 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
9,141 USD

These are average salaries for an Armed Security Officer in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Armed Security Officer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Armed Security Officer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Armed Security Officer Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries an Armed Security Officer will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Armed Security Officer can earn between 32,600 USD and 109,700 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Armed Security Officer in United States is 71,400 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 71,400 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 71,400 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Armed Security Officer salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 48,600 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 48,600 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 95,300 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 95,300 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Armed Security Officer Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average armed security officer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Armed Security Officer in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 39,800 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Armed Security Officer salary would increase to 54,700 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Armed Security Officer, the average salary would be 73,500 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 88,300 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Armed Security Officer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 94,200 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Armed Security Officer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 105,200 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
39,800 USD
2-5 Years +42%
54,700 USD
5-10 Years +31%
73,500 USD
10-15 Years +23%
88,300 USD
15-20 Years +6%
94,200 USD
20+ Years +10%
105,200 USD

Armed Security Officer Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Armed Security Officer in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. An Armed Security Officer in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 50,000 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Armed Security Officer in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 71,800 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Armed Security Officer in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 94,400 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
50,000 USD
Certificate or Diploma +47%
71,800 USD
Bachelor's Degree +34%
94,400 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Armed Security Officer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male armed security officer will earn an average of 71,600 USD, while a female armed security officer will earn around 66,100 USD.

This means that a male armed security officer earns approximately 8% more than a female armed security officer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
71,600 USD
Female -8%
66,100 USD

Armed Security Officer Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Armed Security Officer in United States is around 9% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 9 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 6%

What this means is that an Armed Security Officer in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Armed Security Officer Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Armed Security Officer is a low bonus based job, with 33% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

67% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
33%
No Bonus
67%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Armed Security Officer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Armed Security Officer in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Accreditation Coordinator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 79,600 USD
Accreditation Manager Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 114,300 USD
Advocate Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 69,800 USD
Company Guard Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 34,000 USD
Control Room Operator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 32,200 USD
Correctional Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 53,300 USD
Criminal Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 105,200 USD
Facility Monitor Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 60,600 USD
Fire Chief Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 100,700 USD
Fire Dispatcher Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 49,700 USD
Fire Education Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 88,500 USD
Fire Extinguisher Technician Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 31,800 USD
Fire Fighter Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 54,100 USD
Fire Inspector Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 103,600 USD
Fire Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 93,600 USD
Fire Prevention Engineer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 89,400 USD
Fire Prevention Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 72,800 USD
Fire Protection Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 88,400 USD
Forensic Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 95,300 USD
Forensic Science Technician Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 99,700 USD
Fraud and Forensic Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 100,700 USD
Fraud Examiner Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 107,700 USD
Grants Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 127,700 USD
Intellectual Property Associate Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 88,600 USD
Intelligence Research Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 153,800 USD
Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 100,700 USD
Jail Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 45,000 USD
Juvenile Probation Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 69,700 USD
Juvenile Supervision Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 72,700 USD
Lock-Smith Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 29,100 USD
Parole Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 50,000 USD
Police Captain Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 124,500 USD
Police Communications Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 76,000 USD
Police Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 54,900 USD
Police Patrol Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 51,400 USD
Prison Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 43,800 USD
Prisoner Custody Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 35,300 USD
Private Detective / Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 102,700 USD
Security Adviser Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 95,200 USD
Security Guard Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 26,900 USD
Security Management Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 142,100 USD
Security Manager Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 147,900 USD
Security Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 33,300 USD
Security Supervisor Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 80,300 USD
Security Systems Installer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 79,000 USD
Security Technician Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 30,200 USD
Surveillance Operator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 39,600 USD
Traffic Controller Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 58,600 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 65,900 USD
Austin 76,000 USD
Baltimore 66,900 USD
Boston 70,500 USD
Bristol 56,100 USD
Chicago 82,200 USD
Cincinnati 62,100 USD
Cleveland 62,300 USD
Dallas 75,900 USD
Denver 68,300 USD
Detroit 66,100 USD
Honolulu 57,200 USD
Houston 81,300 USD
Indianapolis 70,000 USD
Iowa City 54,100 USD
Jacksonville 69,800 USD
Kansas City 69,700 USD
Kent 54,200 USD
Las Vegas 65,900 USD
Long Beach 64,800 USD
Los Angeles 85,500 USD
Memphis 74,100 USD
Miami 67,900 USD
Minneapolis 64,500 USD
New Orleans 64,900 USD
New York 81,300 USD
Oakland 61,700 USD
Oklahoma City 68,900 USD
Orlando 60,700 USD
Philadelphia 80,200 USD
Phoenix 79,500 USD
Sacramento 65,900 USD
San Antonio 79,800 USD
San Diego 81,200 USD
San Francisco 75,500 USD
San Jose 78,200 USD
Seattle 76,000 USD
Tampa 64,900 USD
Vancouver 59,700 USD
Washington D.C. 68,100 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 70,500 USD
Alaska 61,200 USD
Arizona 75,000 USD
Arkansas 68,900 USD
California 78,100 USD
Colorado 68,200 USD
Connecticut 66,200 USD
Delaware 63,000 USD
District of Columbia 61,300 USD
Florida 73,800 USD
Georgia 71,700 USD
Hawaii 63,700 USD
Idaho 63,100 USD
Illinois 72,000 USD
Indiana 75,900 USD
Iowa 68,500 USD
Kansas 71,100 USD
Kentucky 73,100 USD
Louisiana 69,800 USD
Maine 65,100 USD
Maryland 71,900 USD
Massachusetts 74,500 USD
Michigan 75,400 USD
Minnesota 71,800 USD
Mississippi 65,900 USD
Missouri 71,800 USD
Montana 61,700 USD
Nebraska 63,200 USD
Nevada 64,200 USD
New Hampshire 63,700 USD
New Jersey 70,600 USD
New Mexico 62,300 USD
New York 73,500 USD
North Carolina 69,800 USD
North Dakota 64,800 USD
Ohio 78,700 USD
Oklahoma 72,800 USD
Oregon 71,800 USD
Pennsylvania 77,100 USD
Rhode Island 66,000 USD
South Carolina 69,800 USD
South Dakota 62,600 USD
Tennessee 72,700 USD
Texas 78,900 USD
Utah 65,800 USD
Vermont 59,800 USD
Virginia 73,300 USD
Washington 72,400 USD
West Virginia 65,200 USD
Wisconsin 71,200 USD
Wyoming 58,400 USD

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