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.
Security Manager Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Security Managers earn a median of $106,660 per year ($51.28/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 3.8% through 2034, with about 13,200 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 11-3013ManagementLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $106,660
- Projected growth
- +3.8%
- Openings a year
- 13,200
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Corporate Physical Security Supervisor, Corporate Security Manager, Judicial Office Security Director, Physical Security Manager, Physical Security Systems Manager, Regional Security Manager.
How much do Security Managers make?
10th percentile$64,480
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$82,020
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$106,660
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$138,870
Upper quartile
90th percentile$176,120
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $106,660 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $51.28/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $116,890 |
| People employed | 156,180 |
Versus all US occupations
At $106,660, Security Managers earn 109% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $55,680 a year.
Versus management occupations
Inside the Management group, where the middle occupation pays $126,060, this is 15% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $176,120 or more while the bottom 10% earn $64,480, a gap of 2.7×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 84% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($139,990), but once local prices are taken into account Alabama leads at $136,237 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Security Managers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $139,990 | $130,816 | 2,790 |
| New York | $131,350 | $121,709 | 9,580 |
| Delaware | $129,260 | $129,509 | 240 |
| New Jersey | $124,110 | $114,066 | 5,690 |
| Massachusetts | $124,100 | $117,344 | 6,070 |
| Colorado | $122,510 | $118,882 | 2,150 |
| Alabama | $121,010 | $136,237 | 940 |
| California | $118,620 | $107,135 | 20,550 |
| Kansas | $117,270 | $130,202 | 1,080 |
| Virginia | $116,540 | $115,267 | 2,950 |
Is Security Manager a growing career?
Security Managers3.8%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.8% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Security Managers to change 3.8% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 5,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 13,200 openings are projected each year, 8.7% of the 151,400 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of administrative services and facilities managers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
A continuing focus on the environmental impact and energy efficiency of buildings will keep facilities managers in demand. For example, building codes typically ensure that buildings meet environmental standards. Facilities managers will be needed to oversee these improvements in a wide range of areas, from heating and air-conditioning systems to roofing. In addition, facilities managers will be needed to plan for natural disasters, ensuring that any damage to a building will be minimal and that the organization can get back to work quickly.
Demand for administrative services managers is expected to be particularly strong for those working in records and information management. As cloud computing continues to expand, these workers will have a critical role in helping organizations develop new records and information management practices and in maintaining data security.
How to become a Security Manager
Educational requirements for administrative services and facilities managers vary by organization and the work they do. But these workers typically need a bachelor’s degree and related work experience.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | Less than 5 years |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as security managers.
- Bachelor's Degree70.0%
- Master's Degree15.0%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)10.0%
- Post-Secondary Certificate5.0%
What does a Security Manager do?
Direct an organization's security functions, including physical security and safety of employees and facilities.
Administrative services and facilities managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities that help an organization run efficiently.
Day-to-day tasks
- Develop budgets for security operations.
- Identify, investigate, or resolve security breaches.
- Plan, direct, or coordinate security activities to safeguard company employees, guests, or others on company property.
- Direct or participate in emergency management and contingency planning.
- Respond to medical emergencies, bomb threats, fire alarms, or intrusion alarms, following emergency response procedures.
- Analyze and evaluate security operations to identify risks or opportunities for improvement through auditing, review, or assessment.
- Create or implement security standards, policies, and procedures.
- Assess risks to mitigate potential consequences of incidents and develop a plan to respond to incidents.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where security managers work
| Healthcare and social assistance | 13% |
|---|---|
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 11% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 10% |
| Finance and insurance | 10% |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 7% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Critical Thinking4.3/5
- Reading Comprehension4.1/5
- Active Listening4.1/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Monitoring4.0/5
- Writing3.8/5
- Active Learning3.6/5
- Learning Strategies3.4/5
Transferable skills
- Judgment and Decision Making4.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving4.0/5
- Coordination3.9/5
- Management of Personnel Resources3.8/5
- Management of Financial Resources3.6/5
- Time Management3.5/5
- Persuasion3.4/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Process mapping and design software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Security Manager?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic3.4
Investigativeprimary3.7
Artistic1.3
Social2.8
Enterprisingprimary5.6
Conventionalprimary5.4
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
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.
Security Manager: frequently asked questions
How much do Security Managers make?
Security Managers earn a median of $106,660 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 109% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $51.28/hr. The middle half earn between $82,020 and $138,870. The top 10% earn $176,120 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Security Manager?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Security Managers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 70.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Security Manager a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.8% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 13,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Security Manager do?
Administrative services and facilities managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities that help an organization run efficiently. A core O*NET task: develop budgets for security operations. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Development environment software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Security Managers the most?
The highest state medians for Security Managers are Washington ($139,990), New York ($131,350), Delaware ($129,260) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alabama moves to the top at $136,237.
What personality type suits a Security Manager?
O*NET scores Security Managers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.