SALARY DATA — SOC 33-1091
First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers
33-0000 Protective Service Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers is 2.47× — the national median is $55,940 but top decile earns $92,260. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 81,480.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $37,300 | -33% | ~$18 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $45,030 | -20% | ~$22 |
| Median — 50th pct | $55,940 | — | $26.90/hr |
| Mean — average | $59,900 | +7% | $28.80/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $71,950 | +29% | ~$35 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $92,260 | +65% | ~$44 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers in 214 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 7,310 | $59,890 | $44,750 | $96,570 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 4,240 | $49,900 | $39,800 | $86,810 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 2,900 | $47,720 | $38,290 | $78,300 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 2,400 | $73,490 | $46,010 | $104,250 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 2,240 | $53,160 | $35,900 | $82,160 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 2,160 | $46,910 | $23,940 | $93,580 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 2,120 | $58,990 | $38,820 | $94,620 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 1,960 | $48,650 | $36,990 | $86,800 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 1,750 | $49,230 | $36,720 | $92,830 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,710 | $46,490 | $25,390 | $90,670 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 69 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation and Security Services | 561600 | 44,540 | $47,880 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 721100 | 4,970 | $57,380 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 622100 | 4,210 | $64,680 |
| Gambling Industries | 713200 | 2,690 | $50,900 |
| General Merchandise Retailers | 455000 | 2,470 | $65,220 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Seattle ranks #4 of 50 on the paycheck and #20 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $73,490 | 102.3 | $71,852 | — |
| Rochester | $66,140 | 97.8 | $67,628 | — |
| Indianapolis | $65,060 | 99.1 | $65,647 | — |
| Richmond | $62,510 | 98.6 | $63,398 | +1 |
| Tucson | $61,460 | 97.1 | $63,274 | +3 |
| Oklahoma City | $60,200 | 95.5 | $63,006 | +6 |
| Raleigh | $61,710 | 98.2 | $62,846 | -1 |
| Buffalo | $60,910 | 97.8 | $62,304 | +1 |
| Kansas City | $57,800 | 93.4 | $61,880 | +11 |
| Portland | $61,560 | 100.1 | $61,492 | -3 |
Top 10 of 50 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Kansas City gains 11 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers to move from 82,700 to 85,700 over 2025–2035 — +3.7% , with about 6,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related experience.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers?
- The median annual salary for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers is $55,940, and the mean is $59,900 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers?
- Most First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers earn between $37,300 and $92,260 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 2.47× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 2.47 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ranks #4 by nominal pay but #20 of 50 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers employment to grow 3.7% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 6,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 81,480 workers in First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Protective Service Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Bailiffs $56,600
- Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists $56,870
- Correctional Officers and Jailers $58,940
- Firefighters $59,280
- Private Detectives and Investigators $51,220
- Parking Enforcement Workers $46,730
- Animal Control Workers $45,660
- Transportation Security Screeners $66,770
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers (SOC 33-1091): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
Methodology · About Office Blues · Meeting Tax Calculator · Daily Pulse
Raw JSON: /salaries/first-line-supervisors-of-security-workers-33-1091.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers, officeblues.net/salaries/first-line-supervisors-of-security-workers-33-1091
The Salary Negotiation Script at /products/salary-negotiation-script uses frameworks like these to build a case — this is the data layer.