First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers Salary
The median first-line supervisors of security workers salary in the United States is $55,940 per year ($26.90/hour). Salaries range from $37,300 at the entry level to $92,260+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 81,480 first-line supervisors of security workers jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 2.7% through 2034.
Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Salary Distribution
Job Growth (2024-2034)
Annual Openings
Education Required
First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers Career Guide
Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for first-line supervisors of security workerss.
First-line supervisors of security workers (BLS SOC 33-1099, dedicated code 33-1091 in the 2018 SOC revision) are the shift sergeants, security supervisors, and site supervisors who run the day-to-day security posture at contract-security accounts, corporate campuses, hospitals, and higher-education institutions. Typical seats: Shift Supervisor at an Allied Universal, Securitas, GardaWorld, or Prosegur contract account (hospital, corporate campus, industrial); Site Supervisor / Account Manager running an entire contract account (24-80 officers under contract to a Fortune-500 principal); Hospital Security Supervisor at IAHSS-affiliated healthcare systems (HCA, CommonSpirit, Ascension, Kaiser, Cleveland Clinic); Corporate Campus Security Supervisor at Silicon Valley Fortune-500 (Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce) protective services teams. BLS reports 81,480 employed with a median of $55,940, p10 $34,910, p90 $89,830+. Entry Shift Supervisor $42-55k; established Site Supervisor / Account Manager $55-78k; established Sr Site Supervisor / Multi-Site Supervisor $75-98k; established Regional Security Manager / District Security Manager $92-135k+. The single biggest earnings lever is completing IAHSS Supervisor + ASIS CPP + moving into a direct-hire supervisor seat at a Fortune-500 corporate protective services or a Level-1 trauma hospital β direct-hire supervisor comp runs 20-45% above equivalent contract-security supervisor comp at Allied Universal, Securitas, GardaWorld.
Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For
How to Become a First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers
- 1Establish 2-5 years as a security officer with a clean track recordFull state licensing (CA BSIS Guard Card, TX DPS Level II/III, FL Class D/G, NY State Security Guard, MI Private Security Guard); IAHSS Basic if healthcare/campus; zero use-of-force incidents preferred (or all documented and defensible); documented DAR/IR quality; positive performance reviews from field supervisors. Most contract-security firms and direct-hire employers require this before Supervisor consideration.
- 2Complete IAHSS Basic + Advanced and get promoted to Sr Officer / Lead OfficerIAHSS Basic (40-hr online + exam, $275-450 member) is the healthcare-security standard; IAHSS Advanced (additional 40-hr on emergency management + threat assessment) opens Sr Officer track at hospitals and campuses. Sr Officer / Lead pay $19-28/hr + shift diff + benefits at healthcare accounts, $20-30/hr at Fortune-500 corporate protective services accounts. Sr Officer for 12-24 months is the standard pipeline into Shift Supervisor consideration.
- 3Complete IAHSS Supervisor certificationIAHSS Supervisor (Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator or CHPA-track prerequisite) β additional 40-hr on operational leadership, discipline, budget, regulatory compliance. Required at IAHSS-affiliated hospital security supervisor seats; strongly preferred at corporate protective services supervisor seats. $325-525 member exam + 40-hr online course.
- 4Move into Shift Supervisor / Site Supervisor at $42-58k salaried + benefitsFirst promotion into the salaried supervisor track. Ownership of a shift (typically 6-15 officers) at a contract-security account or direct-hire seat. Full accountability for post-order compliance, IR quality, officer performance, uniform / equipment. Shift Supervisor is the training ground for Site Supervisor and Account Manager; typically 18-36 months before promotion consideration.
- 5Complete ASIS CPP or PSP for Fortune-500 corporate protective services trackASIS Certified Protection Professional (CPP) β the executive-level ASIS credential; 7 domains. ASIS Physical Security Professional (PSP) β specialty in physical security systems (access control, CCTV, alarms, perimeter). Required or strongly preferred for Fortune-500 corporate protective services Supervisor and above. $500-800 ASIS member exam + $200-500 prep material.
- 6Advance to Site Supervisor / Account Manager at $55-78k salaried + bonus + benefits5-8 years experience total. Ownership of a full contract account β 24-80 officers across 2-4 shifts, $2-8M annual contract value. P&L accountability at contract accounts (OT rate, uniform / equipment budget, officer turnover, incident SLA); direct-hire equivalent is Corporate Security Supervisor at $65-92k + bonus + benefits + equity at Silicon Valley Fortune-500. Site Supervisor typically 24-48 months before promotion consideration to Sr Site or District Manager.
- 7Advance to District / Regional Security Manager at $85-135k+10-18 years experience. Multi-account portfolio β 6-25 contract accounts + 150-500 officers under supervision across a metro or region. Contract renewals, new-business support, portfolio-level margin management, supervisor calibration and promotion. Direct-hire equivalent is Corporate Security Manager / Sr Corporate Security Supervisor at Fortune-500 at $105-165k + bonus + equity.
Career Progression
- β’Run a single shift (6-15 officers) at an account β post assignments, briefing, patrol coordination, IR quality control
- β’Sign off on every IR before submission to the account manager or direct-hire principal team
- β’First-response on shift-level incidents (medical, altercation, workplace-violence indicator, protest, active-threat)
- β’Conduct end-of-shift debrief and manage the shift-to-shift handoff
- β’Own a full contract account (24-80 officers, $2-8M annual contract value) or direct-hire equivalent at a corporate campus
- β’Weekly / biweekly touch-base with the principal's security team lead; monthly QBR
- β’Own scheduling, hiring, training, discipline, uniform / equipment budget for the account
- β’Represent the account in contract renewals and new-business scope changes
- β’Own multiple sites or a mid-size corporate campus (60-180 officers, $5-15M annual value)
- β’Direct 2-4 Site Supervisors below and 2-6 Shift Supervisors below them
- β’Own use-of-force review board rotation, IR quality-control program, training-refresher scheduling
- β’Represent the portfolio at the client CSO / General Counsel level in monthly business review
- β’Own a metro or regional portfolio (6-25 contract accounts, 150-500 officers) or direct-hire corporate protective services program
- β’P&L accountability β portfolio-level margin, OT discipline, contract-renewal book, new-business support
- β’Represent the district / region in company-level operations and finance reviews
- β’Executive-level client relationships at Fortune-500 client CSOs and Chief of Staff
- β’Own regional or national P&L (25-150 accounts, 1,000-5,000 officers, $40-350M annual revenue) or direct-hire Fortune-500 corporate security program
- β’Represent the function to the CEO / CFO / Chief Legal / Board Audit Committee at Fortune-500
- β’Own capital planning for physical security infrastructure across the portfolio
- β’Own the enterprise crisis-management framework and executive-travel security program
Interview Questions & Answers
5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.
Q1. Walk me through your last shift as a Shift Supervisor.technical
Q2. Describe how you'd handle a chronic performance issue with an officer on your shift.situational
Q3. Describe a serious incident you commanded as Initial IC.behavioral
Q4. Why supervisor rather than staying on the officer track?culture
Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer
Resume Template β Site Supervisor / Account Manager (5-9 yrs)
Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.
- βΈSite Supervisor at Allied Universal covering a 620-bed Level-1 trauma hospital contract account; ran 48 officers across 3 shifts and 22 posts with $6.8M annual contract value.
- βΈReduced officer turnover from 62% to 38% annually through structured 90-day onboarding, weekly 1:1s, and a documented promotion path to Sr Officer / Sergeant.
- βΈReduced OT rate from 14.2% to 6.8% of billable hours in 18 months through improved scheduling in WinTeam + cross-post training + on-call coverage bench.
- βΈIAHSS Basic + Advanced + Supervisor + ASIS CPP foundation (4 of 7 domains). Kronos + WinTeam + TrackTik proficient. $68k base + 8% bonus + healthcare + 401(k) match.
What Gets You Rejected
- βHistory of use-of-force complaints or civil claims at prior sites β screened at every reputable supervisor hire.
- βNo IAHSS Basic + Advanced + Supervisor at a healthcare / campus supervisor interview β signals candidate hasn't done the credentialing work.
- βCannot produce a redacted sample IR when asked in the interview β supervisors must be strong IR authors and quality-reviewers.
- βVague on progressive discipline / just-cause framework β 'I coach them and if it doesn't improve I fire them' with no dated documentation β fails arbitration and loses accounts.
- βPoor WinTeam / Kronos / TrackTik / GuardTek fluency β these systems are the operational spine of contract-security supervisor work.
- βDocumented account losses under prior supervisor management β reference-check red flag; contract renewals are the ultimate measure of supervisor performance.
- βRefuses to work rotating shifts or on-call coverage β most Shift / Site Supervisor seats require this; a candidate who wants strict 9-5 is not a fit.
Salary Negotiation Levers
- βDirect-hire premium β direct-hire Corporate Security Supervisor at a Fortune-500 pays 20-45% above equivalent contract-security Site Supervisor. Interviewing into direct-hire is the biggest single-move earning lever in this occupation.
- βHealthcare / hospital security supervisor premium β Level-1 trauma / academic medical center supervisor seats pay 10-20% above general commercial contract supervisor seats.
- βMetro premium β SF Bay Area, NYC, Boston, LA corporate security supervisor seats pay 25-40% above US median for the same seat.
- βIAHSS + ASIS credentialing β IAHSS Basic/Advanced/Supervisor adds $3-8k at healthcare supervisor promotion; ASIS CPP adds $8-18k at corporate protective services supervisor promotion; PSP or PCI adds $4-10k in specialty roles.
- βState-license premium β armed-supervisor endorsements (CA BSIS Firearm + Supervisor; TX DPS Level III / IV; FL Class G + MB) add $3-8/hr over unarmed supervisor.
- βShift-differential and on-call β 2nd shift +$2-4/hr, 3rd shift +$3-6/hr, weekend +$1-3/hr; on-call rotation typical $75-200/on-call shift + hourly if called in.
- βSign-on bonus β supervisor moving between contract-security firms routinely negotiates $3-15k sign-on; direct-hire Fortune-500 supervisor sign-on $8-35k depending on market.
- βTuition reimbursement β Section 127 caps at $5,250/yr federal tax-free; Fortune-500 direct-hire employers routinely top this up for MS Homeland Security / MS Public Administration / MBA. Negotiate this alongside base if the Supervisor-to-Manager-to-Director track is your target.
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First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers Salary by State
Best Cities (cost-adjusted) βSalary Map β Click a state for details
Top Paying States
| State | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $83,710 | +49.6% |
| Vermont | $78,110 | +39.6% |
| Alaska | $73,500 | +31.4% |
| New Hampshire | $66,780 | +19.4% |
| Maryland | $63,690 | +13.9% |
| Delaware | $62,840 | +12.3% |
| Washington | $62,510 | +11.7% |
| New Mexico | $62,330 | +11.4% |
| New Jersey | $61,590 | +10.1% |
| Indiana | $61,520 | +10.0% |
First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | $100,340 | +79.4% |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | $89,610 | +60.2% |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $85,540 | +52.9% |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $82,880 | +48.2% |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | $82,010 | +46.6% |
| Rochester, MN | $77,200 | +38.0% |
| Anchorage, AK | $73,500 | +31.4% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $73,490 | +31.4% |
| Lynchburg, VA | $73,230 | +30.9% |
| Green Bay, WI | $72,300 | +29.2% |