Retail Loss Prevention Specialists earn a median of $42,540 per year ($20.45/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 3.0% through 2035, with about 22,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 33-9099
- Protective Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Retail Loss Prevention Specialist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $42,540a year, or $20.45/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $32KTop 10% $75K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.0%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 22,60082,100 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202582.1K
- Projected 203584.6K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 82.1K Projected 2035 84.6K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school5.2%
- High school68.6%
- Certificate4.3%
- Associate's11.4%
- Bachelor's10.5%
Highest education held by retail loss prevention specialists Segment Value Less than high school 5.2% High school 68.6% Certificate 4.3% Associate's 11.4% Bachelor's 10.5%
Also advertised as: Asset Protection Associate (APA), Loss Prevention Agent, Loss Prevention Associate (LPA), Loss Prevention Detective, Loss Prevention Investigator, Loss Prevention Officer.
Pay
How much do Retail Loss Prevention Specialists make?
Every retail loss prevention specialist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$42,540
Middle half earn $35,420 to $54,910
- 10th
- $32,470
- 25th
- $35,420
- 75th
- $54,910
- 90th
- $74,590
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $32,470 |
| 25th | $35,420 |
| Median | $42,540 |
| 75th | $54,910 |
| 90th | $74,590 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $42,540
- Median hourly wage
- $20.45/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $48,070
- People employed
- 81,500
Versus all US occupations
At $42,540, Retail Loss Prevention Specialists earn 17% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $8,440 a year.
Versus protective service occupations
Inside the Protective Service group, where the middle occupation pays $74,060, this is 43% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $74,590 or more while the bottom 10% earn $32,470, a gap of 2.3×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 9% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
New Hampshire posts the highest raw median ($88,960), but once local prices are taken into account Alabama leads at $97,216 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Retail Loss Prevention 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1New Hampshire | $88,960 | $85,403 | 90 |
| 2District of Columbia | $88,570 | $80,591 | 80 |
| 3Alabama | $86,350 | $97,216 | 330 |
| 4New Mexico | $64,940 | $70,425 | 650 |
| 5Wisconsin | $57,620 | $61,236 | 910 |
| 6Vermont | $57,490 | $58,688 | 60 |
| 7Hawaii | $57,370 | $52,178 | 110 |
| 8Alaska | $56,120 | $54,827 | 400 |
| 9New Jersey | $54,950 | $50,503 | 3,520 |
| 10Nevada | $54,790 | $54,802 | 910 |
Job outlook
Is Retail Loss Prevention Specialist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Retail Loss Prevention Specialists | +3% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Retail Loss Prevention Specialists to change 3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 2,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 22,600 openings are projected each year, 27.5% of the 82,100 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Retail Loss Prevention Specialist
- 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 retail loss prevention specialists.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)68.6%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree11.4%
- Bachelor's Degree10.5%
- Less than a High School Diploma5.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate4.3%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 68.6% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 11.4% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 10.5% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 5.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.3% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Retail Loss Prevention Specialist do?
Implement procedures and systems to prevent merchandise loss. Conduct audits and investigations of employee activity. May assist in developing policies, procedures, and systems for safeguarding assets.
Day-to-day tasks
- Maintain documentation or reports on security-related incidents or investigations.
- Identify and report safety concerns to maintain a safe shopping and working environment.
- Implement or monitor processes to reduce property or financial losses.
- Verify proper functioning of physical security systems, such as closed-circuit televisions, alarms, sensor tag systems, or locks.
- Investigate known or suspected internal theft, external theft, or vendor fraud.
- Inspect buildings, equipment, or access points to determine security risks.
- Identify and report merchandise or stock shortages.
- Conduct store audits to identify problem areas or procedural deficiencies.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
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 dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing 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
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Listening3.5
- Speaking3.5
- Monitoring3.5
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Active Learning3.3
- Writing3.1
- Learning Strategies2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.5 |
| Speaking | 3.5 |
| Monitoring | 3.5 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.4
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4
- Coordination3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Systems Analysis3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Instructing2.9
- Service Orientation2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.4 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 2.9 |
| Service Orientation | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Enterprise application integration software
- Transaction security and virus protection 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 Retail Loss Prevention Specialist?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Retail Loss Prevention Specialist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| 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 leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional5.7
- Enterprising4.8
- Realistic3.9
- Investigative3.4
- Social2.7
- 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 Retail Loss Prevention Specialist
O*NET related occupations
- Management
- Protective Service
- Management
- Protective Service
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
More protective service careers
Median annual pay, with retail loss prevention specialists 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
- Retail Loss Prevention Specialist$42,540
- Security Guard$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 |
| Retail Loss Prevention Specialist | $42,540 |
| Security Guard | $38,020 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Retail Loss Prevention Specialist appears on
Questions
Retail Loss Prevention Specialist: frequently asked questions
How much do Retail Loss Prevention Specialists make?
Retail Loss Prevention Specialists earn a median of $42,540 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 17% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $20.45/hr. The middle half earn between $35,420 and $54,910. The top 10% earn $74,590 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Retail Loss Prevention Specialist?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Retail Loss Prevention Specialists. 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, 68.6% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Retail Loss Prevention Specialist a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.0% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 22,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Retail Loss Prevention Specialist do?
Implement procedures and systems to prevent merchandise loss. A core O*NET task: maintain documentation or reports on security-related incidents or investigations. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Retail Loss Prevention Specialists the most?
The highest state medians for Retail Loss Prevention Specialists are New Hampshire ($88,960), District of Columbia ($88,570), Alabama ($86,350) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alabama moves to the top at $97,216.
What personality type suits a Retail Loss Prevention Specialist?
O*NET scores Retail Loss Prevention Specialists highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.