Facts

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed the nation's average salary for security officers to be $26,430. It also noted the wide range of those salaries. Security officers earning the highest potential in the 90th bracket averaged salaries of $40,230 per year. At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest-earning security guards in the 10th percentile averaged $16,840 per year.
  
  

Location

• Security officers "guarding" either coast of the country earned higher salaries than their middle-country counterparts. The state of Alaska topped the BLS's list of highest security officer salaries, with an annual wage of $37,030. The District of Columbia was right behind, offering salaries of $37,010. D.C. also placed first on the BLS's list of highest states/areas with per-capita security officer employment. The state of Washington took third place on the salary list, with wages of $35,420. Vermont and Maryland, at $30,840 and $30,320 respectively, rounded out the top five.
  
  

Considerations

• The path to earning a salary as a security officer takes a few different routes. There are no specific educational or experience requirements for some security officer positions. Employers may prefer applicants who have a high school diploma or GED, or those who have completed some postsecondary education in criminal justice, psychology or law. Security officers who will be using weapons may be required to already have permits, licenses and experience handling the weapons or may be put through a training or "boot camp" period. Security officers are subject to background checks -- criminal, mental and physical.
  
  

Outlook

• The BLS anticipates a 14-percent rise in employment of security officers, adding 152,500 jobs to the field through 2018. The bureau attributes a portion of the increased demand for security services to fears over terrorism and increased crime.