Guards a nuclear power plant or nuclear weapons site as part of an armed, heavily trained response force held to federal security standards. BLS does not publish separate figures for security guards; it counts them within security guard (SOC 33-9032), whose median pay is $38,020 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 33-9032
- Protective Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Nuclear Security Officer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $38,020a year, or $18.28/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $30KTop 10% $59K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +0.9%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+0.9%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +0.9% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 156,0001,294,300 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20251.3M
- Projected 20351.3M
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 1.3M Projected 2035 1.3M - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school79.3%
- Certificate4.2%
- Some college9.6%
- Associate's5.1%
- Bachelor's2%
Highest education held by security guards Segment Value High school 79.3% Certificate 4.2% Some college 9.6% Associate's 5.1% Bachelor's 2%
Also advertised as: Nuclear Security Police Officer, Armed Nuclear Security Officer, Nuclear Plant Security Officer, Protective Force Officer, Security Response Officer.
Pay
How much do Security Guards make?
Every nuclear security officer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$38,020
Middle half earn $35,210 to $46,200
- 10th
- $30,210
- 25th
- $35,210
- 75th
- $46,200
- 90th
- $58,840
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $30,210 |
| 25th | $35,210 |
| Median | $38,020 |
| 75th | $46,200 |
| 90th | $58,840 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $38,020
- Median hourly wage
- $18.28/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $42,470
- People employed
- 1,283,470
Versus all US occupations
At $38,020, Security Guards earn 25% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $12,960 a year.
Versus protective service occupations
Inside the Protective Service group, where the middle occupation pays $74,060, this is 49% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $58,840 or more while the bottom 10% earn $30,210, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 5% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $64,210, and still leads at $58,425 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Security Guards the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $64,210 | $58,425 | 15,880 |
| 2Alaska | $47,480 | $46,386 | 2,100 |
| 3Washington | $47,100 | $44,013 | 25,800 |
| 4Vermont | $45,550 | $46,500 | 930 |
| 5Oregon | $45,500 | $44,020 | 12,200 |
| 6New Hampshire | $45,200 | $43,393 | 2,450 |
| 7Colorado | $45,150 | $43,813 | 16,890 |
| 8Massachusetts | $44,670 | $42,238 | 23,930 |
| 9New York | $44,240 | $40,993 | 134,700 |
| 10Virginia | $43,640 | $43,163 | 34,870 |
Job outlook
Is Nuclear Security Officer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +0.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Security Guards | +0.9% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Security Guards to change 0.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 11,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 156,000 openings are projected each year, 12.1% of the 1,294,300 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Nuclear Security Officer
A high school diploma is the usual minimum, though military or police experience is a strong advantage. Candidates go through extensive background checks, psychological evaluation, medical and fitness testing, and drug and alcohol screening under federal access authorization rules.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission sets the training and qualification standards for armed security at commercial plants, so new hires complete weeks of site training on weapons, tactics and the plant's security plan before standing post. Officers must requalify on firearms and physical fitness on a regular schedule. Department of Energy protective forces follow their own federal standards, with paths into special response teams. Many officers are represented by unions, and promotion leads to sergeant, lieutenant and training instructor roles.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as security guards.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)79.3%
- Some College Courses9.6%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree5.1%
- Post-Secondary Certificate4.2%
- Bachelor's Degree2%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 79.3% |
| Some College Courses | 9.6% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 5.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.2% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 2% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Nuclear Security Officer do?
Nuclear security officers protect commercial nuclear power plants and federal nuclear facilities against sabotage, theft and attack. They are not ordinary guards. At power plants, federal rules require an armed force able to defend against a defined threat, so officers staff hardened posts, control access to protected areas, search people and vehicles, and respond to alarms.
Much of the job is training. Officers qualify regularly on firearms, practice tactical response, and take part in force-on-force exercises in which mock adversary teams test the site's defenses. At Department of Energy sites, protective force officers guard nuclear materials and weapons components and may also escort shipments. The work demands constant attention to procedure and the discipline to stay alert through long, mostly quiet shifts.
Day-to-day tasks
- Control access to protected and vital areas of a nuclear facility
- Search personnel, packages and vehicles for prohibited items
- Staff armed posts and patrol the site perimeter
- Respond to intrusion alarms and security events
- Qualify regularly on firearms and tactical response
- Take part in force-on-force and tabletop security exercises
- Monitor surveillance and detection systems
- Write incident reports and follow strict security procedures
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Officers work rotating twelve-hour shifts, including nights, weekends and holidays, at remote plant and federal sites. Posts can be indoors or outdoors in all weather. The job requires carrying gear, running, climbing stairs and staying physically qualified throughout a career.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.8
- Monitoring3.4
- Speaking3.3
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Active Learning2.9
- Writing2.8
- Learning Strategies2.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 |
| Speaking | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.9 |
| Writing | 2.8 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Coordination3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Persuasion2.9
- Service Orientation2.9
- Negotiation2.6
- Complex Problem Solving2.6
- Time Management2.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Persuasion | 2.9 |
| Service Orientation | 2.9 |
| Negotiation | 2.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.6 |
| Time Management | 2.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Network monitoring software
- Transaction security and virus protection software
- Video conferencing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Nuclear Security Officer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code RCS) built on O*NET's Security Guard profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Nuclear Security Officer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic6.4
- Conventional5.1
- Social3.4
- Enterprising2.9
- Investigative2.3
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Nuclear Security Officer
O*NET related occupations
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
More protective service careers
Median annual pay, with security guards highlighted
- Detective and Criminal Investigator$93,790
- Intelligence Analyst$93,790
- Police Officer$76,210
- Custom and Border Protection Officer$76,210
- Firefighter$59,280
- Correctional Officer and Jailer$58,940
- Private Detective and Investigator$51,220
- Security Guard$38,020
- Nuclear Security Officer$38,020
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $93,790 |
| Intelligence Analyst | $93,790 |
| Police Officer | $76,210 |
| Custom and Border Protection Officer | $76,210 |
| Firefighter | $59,280 |
| Correctional Officer and Jailer | $58,940 |
| Private Detective and Investigator | $51,220 |
| Security Guard | $38,020 |
| Nuclear Security Officer | $38,020 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Nuclear Security Officer appears on
Questions
Nuclear Security Officer: frequently asked questions
How much do Security Guards make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for security guards. It counts them within security guard, whose median pay is $38,020 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $35,210 and $46,200, and the top 10% earn $58,840 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Nuclear Security Officer?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Security Guards. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 79.3% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Nuclear Security Officer a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 0.9% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 156,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Nuclear Security Officer do?
Nuclear security officers protect commercial nuclear power plants and federal nuclear facilities against sabotage, theft and attack. A typical task: control access to protected and vital areas of a nuclear facility. Employers most often ask for Document management software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Security Guards the most?
The highest state medians for Security Guards are District of Columbia ($64,210), Alaska ($47,480), Washington ($47,100) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Nuclear Security Officer?
O*NET scores Security Guards highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.