Reviews background investigations and decides whether a person can be trusted with a security clearance or a sensitive government job. BLS does not publish separate figures for security management specialists; it counts them within security management specialist (SOC 13-1199), whose median pay is $83,050 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 13-1199
- Business and Financial Operations
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Personnel Security Adjudicator in four numbers
- Median pay
- $83,050a year, or $39.93/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $48KTop 10% $150K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.9%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.9%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.9% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 98,7001,157,600 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20251.2M
- Projected 20351.2M
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 1.2M Projected 2035 1.2M - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Certificate10%
- Some college10%
- Bachelor's65%
- Post-bacc certificate5%
- Master's10%
Highest education held by security management specialists Segment Value Certificate 10% Some college 10% Bachelor's 65% Post-bacc certificate 5% Master's 10%
Also advertised as: Security Clearance Adjudicator, Adjudications Specialist, Personnel Security Specialist, Suitability Adjudicator, Clearance Adjudicator.
Pay
How much do Security Management Specialists make?
Every personnel security adjudicator in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$83,050
Middle half earn $62,640 to $114,010
- 10th
- $47,880
- 25th
- $62,640
- 75th
- $114,010
- 90th
- $150,010
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $47,880 |
| 25th | $62,640 |
| Median | $83,050 |
| 75th | $114,010 |
| 90th | $150,010 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $83,050
- Median hourly wage
- $39.93/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $93,970
- People employed
- 1,087,090
Versus all US occupations
At $83,050, Security Management Specialists earn 63% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $32,070 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
Inside the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730, this is 3% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $150,010 or more while the bottom 10% earn $47,880, a gap of 3.1×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 63% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($108,160), but once local prices are taken into account Alabama leads at $112,854 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Security Management Specialists 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 | $108,160 | $98,416 | 37,790 |
| 2Maryland | $101,500 | $96,704 | 39,820 |
| 3Washington | $100,360 | $93,783 | 51,650 |
| 4Alabama | $100,240 | $112,854 | 6,990 |
| 5Delaware | $95,040 | $95,223 | 1,600 |
| 6Alaska | $94,740 | $92,557 | 2,020 |
| 7Oklahoma | $93,640 | $106,599 | 5,700 |
| 8Massachusetts | $93,270 | $88,193 | 17,910 |
| 9Hawaii | $92,620 | $84,238 | 4,030 |
| 10Colorado | $92,520 | $89,780 | 45,670 |
Job outlook
Is Personnel Security Adjudicator a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Security Management Specialists | +3.9% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Security Management Specialists to change 3.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 44,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 98,700 openings are projected each year, 8.5% of the 1,157,600 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Personnel Security Adjudicator
Federal adjudicators usually need a bachelor's degree or relevant experience, and they must hold a clearance themselves. Many come from background investigation, military security, law enforcement or human resources work. Strong reading, writing and analytical skills matter more than any single major.
The Center for Development of Security Excellence trains adjudicators and offers the Adjudicator Professional Certification, which many federal agencies expect within a set period after hiring. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency runs the largest adjudication operation, and other agencies and some contractors employ their own adjudicators. People typically start at a trainee grade and work through a career ladder as they take on more complex cases.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium 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 management specialists.
- Bachelor's Degree65%
- Post-Secondary Certificate10%
- Some College Courses10%
- Master's Degree10%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate5%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 65% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 10% |
| Some College Courses | 10% |
| Master's Degree | 10% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 5% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Personnel Security Adjudicator do?
Personnel security adjudicators make the decision at the end of a background investigation. Investigators gather the facts about a person's finances, criminal history, foreign contacts, drug use, mental health treatment and past employment. The adjudicator then weighs those facts against the federal adjudicative guidelines and decides whether granting a clearance or sensitive position is consistent with national security.
The work is careful judgment, not a checklist. An unpaid debt or an old arrest is not automatically disqualifying, so adjudicators look at how recent and serious an issue was and what the person has done since. They request more information, write written rationales, and issue denials or revocations that the person can appeal. With continuous vetting, adjudicators also review new alerts about people who already hold clearances.
Day-to-day tasks
- Review completed background investigation reports
- Apply the national security adjudicative guidelines to each case
- Weigh mitigating factors against security concerns
- Request additional information or interviews when facts are unclear
- Write clear determinations and rationales
- Issue statements of reasons for proposed denials or revocations
- Review continuous vetting alerts on current clearance holders
- Support appeals and hearings on adverse decisions
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Adjudicators work at desks in secure federal or contractor offices, reading investigative files and writing determinations. Some agencies allow partial telework for unclassified casework. Hours are regular, with steady pressure from caseload targets. The job suits people who like careful reading and steady, independent work.
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
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost 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 Listening4.1
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.6
- Monitoring3.6
- Active Learning3.3
- Learning Strategies3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.6 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Coordination3.8
- Complex Problem Solving3.8
- Systems Analysis3.6
- Systems Evaluation3.6
- Social Perceptiveness3.5
- Persuasion3.4
- Instructing3.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.6 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.4 |
| Instructing | 3.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Cloud-based management software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Internet directory services software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Process mapping and design software · in demand
“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 Personnel Security Adjudicator?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code CIS) built on O*NET's Security Management Specialist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Personnel Security Adjudicator |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Conventional5.8
- Investigative5.2
- Realistic3.9
- Enterprising3.7
- Social2.8
- Artistic1.7
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 Personnel Security Adjudicator
O*NET related occupations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Management
- Computer and Mathematical
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
- Protective Service
More business and financial operations careers
Median annual pay, with security management specialists highlighted
- Financial Advisor$105,070
- Accountant$83,680
- Personnel Security Adjudicator$83,050
- Insurance Underwriter$81,370
- Coroner$80,730
- Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator$78,000
- Loan Officer$76,690
- Human Resources Specialist$75,940
- Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate$67,960
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Financial Advisor | $105,070 |
| Accountant | $83,680 |
| Personnel Security Adjudicator | $83,050 |
| Insurance Underwriter | $81,370 |
| Coroner | $80,730 |
| Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator | $78,000 |
| Loan Officer | $76,690 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $75,940 |
| Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate | $67,960 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Personnel Security Adjudicator appears on
Questions
Personnel Security Adjudicator: frequently asked questions
How much do Security Management Specialists make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for security management specialists. It counts them within security management specialist, whose median pay is $83,050 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $62,640 and $114,010, and the top 10% earn $150,010 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Personnel Security Adjudicator?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Security Management Specialists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 65.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Personnel Security Adjudicator a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.9% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 98,700 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Personnel Security Adjudicator do?
Personnel security adjudicators make the decision at the end of a background investigation. A typical task: review completed background investigation reports. Employers most often ask for Cloud-based management software, Data base user interface and query software, Development environment software.
Which states pay Security Management Specialists the most?
The highest state medians for Security Management Specialists are District of Columbia ($108,160), Maryland ($101,500), Washington ($100,360) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alabama moves to the top at $112,854.
What personality type suits a Personnel Security Adjudicator?
O*NET scores Security Management Specialists highest on the Conventional, Investigative and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and 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.