Protective Service Workers, All Other Salary
The median protective service workers, all other salary in the United States is $42,540 per year ($20.45/hour). Salaries range from $32,470 at the entry level to $74,590+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 81,500 protective service workers, all other jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 2.5% through 2034.
Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Salary Distribution
Job Growth (2024-2034)
Annual Openings
Education Required
Training Needed
Protective Service Workers, All Other Career Guide
Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for protective service workers, all others.
Protective Service Workers, All Other is the BLS catch-all (SOC 33-9099) for security-adjacent roles that don't fit under Security Guards (33-9032), Police (33-3050), or Firefighters (33-2011). The seats that live here in practice: campus safety officers at 4-year universities (not sworn campus police); private-sector executive protection agents guarding C-suite principals on corporate campuses (Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce); gaming surveillance operators on the eye-in-the-sky at commercial and tribal casinos (non-dealer roles under 39-3011); private investigator support staff running skip trace, records, and mobile surveillance; industrial fire brigade / mutual aid on-site responders at refineries, chemical plants, and paper mills that don't rise to full 33-2011 Firefighter SOC. BLS reports 81,500 employed with a median of $42,540, p10 $26,890, p90 $75,110. Entry campus safety / private investigator support $28-38k; established gaming surveillance / mid-tier campus safety officer $38-52k; executive protection specialist at Fortune-500 corporate protective services $58-95k; Sr EP agent / EP program manager $95-155k+. The single biggest earnings lever is credentialing into executive protection with ESI (Executive Security International), Advance Werk, or Pinkerton EP training + real principal-protection reps β an EP specialist on a Fortune-500 corporate protective services team clears $100k+ well before generalist campus safety officers reach $50k.
Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For
How to Become a Protective Service Workers, All Other
- 1Get the state security guard / private-investigator license and complete the required pre-assignment trainingCalifornia β 40-hr BSIS pre-assignment (8-hr Powers of Arrest + 32-hr on-the-job) + AB Guard Card ($55 fee + fingerprints). Florida β Class D unarmed 40-hr training + license ($95) or Class G armed 28-hr training + license ($112). Michigan β Private Security Guard license under MCL 338 ($100 + fingerprints). New York β 8-hr pre-assignment + 16-hr on-the-job + 8-hr annual + NY State Guard registration. Texas β DPS Level II unarmed 6-hr + Level III armed 32-hr + Level IV PPO 15-hr for personal protection officer license. All fingerprint-based background checks; disqualifying convictions vary by state.
- 2Get hired as a campus safety officer, gaming surveillance operator, or corporate protective services officer$28-40k entry pay. Campus safety at 4-year universities (Stanford Department of Public Safety non-sworn, USC Department of Public Safety non-sworn, NYU Public Safety, Duke University Police auxiliary) β most offer full benefits, tuition assistance, and clear promotion track. Gaming surveillance at commercial casinos (MGM Resorts, Caesars, Wynn, Boyd Gaming, Penn Entertainment) or tribal (Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Pechanga, San Manuel) pays $19-27/hr on 12-hr rotating shifts. Corporate protective services at Silicon Valley campuses runs through Allied Universal, Securitas, Pinkerton, or GardaWorld.
- 3Complete ASIS Certified Protection Professional (CPP) foundation courseworkASIS International β the professional association for security. CPP is the executive-level credential (7 domains: security principles, business principles, investigations, personnel security, physical security, information security, crisis management). Alternatives at the mid-career level: PSP (Physical Security Professional) and PCI (Professional Certified Investigator). $500-800 exam fees for members; $200-500 prep material. Signals mid-career professional depth to Fortune-500 corporate protective services recruiters.
- 4Earn specialty credentials β IAHSS for healthcare / campus, executive protection training for EPIAHSS Basic (International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety) β the healthcare / campus security standard; 40-hr online course + exam. IAHSS Advanced (additional 40-hr on emergency management, threat assessment). IAHSS Supervisor (leadership + progressive discipline). For EP: Executive Security International (ESI) 7-day EP Fundamentals ($4,500-6,500), Advance Werk 10-day Executive Protection Specialist ($5,500-8,000), Pinkerton EP training (internal), Gavin de Becker & Associates apprenticeship program (competitive, employer-paid).
- 5Move into executive protection or Sr campus safety / gaming surveillance supervisor at $55-95k5-10 years experience. EP at Fortune-500 corporate protective services (Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, Netflix) β running principal details, advance work, motorcade, residence security. Sr campus safety officer / lead at large 4-year universities β running a shift of 6-12 officers on patrol, dispatch, and event security. Sr gaming surveillance operator / shift supervisor at a commercial casino β running the eye-in-the-sky room for a shift with 4-10 operators.
- 6Advance to EP Program Manager, Corporate Security Manager, or Campus Safety Director at $95-165k+10-20 years experience. EP Program Manager at Fortune-500 corporate protective services owns 6-25 EP agents across a protective-services team ($125-225k base + bonus + equity). Corporate Security Manager or Director sits at $105-185k+ base + bonus + equity at Silicon Valley and Fortune-100 companies. Campus Safety Director at a large 4-year university $95-165k salaried + full university benefits + tuition remission for family.
Career Progression
- β’Foot and vehicle patrol on assigned campus, hotel-casino, or corporate site with GPS guard-tour verification
- β’Access-control enforcement at lobbies, gates, and back-of-house entry points
- β’Daily Activity Report + Incident Report authorship end-of-shift; radio dispatch coordination
- β’First aid / CPR / AED / Stop the Bleed response for medical calls in coverage area
- β’Shift lead β assign posts, review DARs / IRs, coach junior officers
- β’Support event security (commencement, sporting events, VIP visits, executive off-sites)
- β’IAHSS Advanced or CPP coursework in-progress; internal specialty training (executive protection, threat assessment, cybercrime)
- β’Handle escalations from junior officers β angry visitors, workplace-violence indicators, medical decisions
- β’Full-time principal protection β daily A/D, advance work, motorcade, residence security, travel
- β’Threat-assessment coordination with corporate security intelligence team
- β’Represent the EP program at C-suite and Chief of Staff level meetings
- β’Own principal-specific vulnerability assessment refresh quarterly
- β’Lead a 4-15 person EP detail or campus safety district; own scheduling, calibration, promotion
- β’Own the program's threat-assessment protocol and workplace-violence prevention
- β’Represent security in C-suite / chief-of-staff / general-counsel weekly briefings
- β’Coordinate with local law enforcement, FBI, USSS on threat cases
- β’Own a corporate protective services program (10-40 EP agents + 20-80 posts) or campus safety department (50-200 officers)
- β’Own department P&L $4-45M; capital budget for CCTV, access control, radio infrastructure
- β’Report to CSO / SVP Global Security / VP Campus Safety and to the Board Audit Committee at high-risk companies
- β’Own crisis management framework, hostile-workplace-event response, executive travel program worldwide
Interview Questions & Answers
5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.
Q1. Walk me through your last shift as a campus safety officer or protective services officer.technical
Q2. Describe how you'd conduct advance work for a principal's speech at a public university.situational
Q3. Describe a de-escalation you handled that could have escalated to use-of-force.behavioral
Q4. Why protective services rather than sworn law enforcement?culture
Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer
Resume Template β Sr Campus Safety / Corporate Protective Services Officer (3-8 yrs)
Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.
- βΈSr Campus Safety Officer at a 22,000-student 4-year university; ran second-shift lead for 6-officer detail with zero use-of-force incidents in 24 months across 380+ incident responses.
- βΈReduced student rideshare-safety incidents 40% (from 22 to 13 quarterly) through partnership with counseling center and rideshare voucher program for at-risk late-night students.
- βΈIAHSS Basic + Advanced. ASIS CPP foundation coursework (2 of 7 domains complete). Motorola APX radio + Detex ProxiPen guard-tour + Genetec Security Center CCTV certified.
- βΈCalifornia AB Guard Card + BSIS Baton + Pepper Spray endorsements. NREMT Emergency Medical Responder + AHA BLS Provider + Stop the Bleed. $52k base + $2/hr 3rd shift diff + healthcare + tuition remission.
What Gets You Rejected
- βCommand-and-control demeanor from former law enforcement or military β bad fit for university, corporate campus, or Silicon Valley protective services culture.
- βDocumented use-of-force complaints or civil suit history at prior employers β screened at every reputable corporate EP and campus safety program.
- βNo state security license or an expired one β CA AB Guard Card, FL Class D, NY State Guard Card, TX DPS Level II are minimum entry.
- βVague on report writing β cannot produce a redacted sample IR when asked; sloppy IR authorship fails at any accredited campus safety program.
- βWeak on de-escalation frameworks (Vistelar, CPI, ICAT) β programs screen hard for verbal-first culture.
- βRefuses body-worn camera or CCTV coverage of shift work β instant screen-out at every 2020-and-later hire class.
- βNo EMS credentials at a campus safety seat β every 4-year university requires at least CPR/AED, most require Stop the Bleed and Naloxone.
Salary Negotiation Levers
- βEP specialty premium β full-time principal protection at a Fortune-500 corporate protective services pays 40-80% above generalist campus safety at the same tenure.
- βMetro premium β SF Bay Area corporate protective services, NYC corporate EP, LA studio and entertainment EP all pay 20-35% above US median for the same seat.
- βIAHSS + ASIS credentialing β IAHSS Basic/Advanced adds $2-5k at campus safety promotion; ASIS CPP adds $5-15k at corporate protective services promotion; ASIS PSP or PCI adds $3-8k in specialty roles.
- βState-license premium β CA BSIS + Baton + Pepper Spray + Firearm Guard Card adds $2-6/hr over unarmed unlicensed; FL Class G armed +$3-8/hr over Class D unarmed.
- βShift differential and on-call β 2nd shift +$1-3/hr, 3rd shift +$2-4/hr, weekend +$1-2/hr, holiday +50-100%; EP on-call and travel premiums can add $8-25k/yr.
- βExecutive protection training subsidy β negotiate ESI ($4.5-6.5k), Advance Werk ($5.5-8k), or Pinkerton EP training as employer-paid at hire or promotion. This alone is worth $3-6k at market rates.
- βSign-on bonus β corporate protective services roles at Fortune-500 tech in critical-staffing markets (SF Bay, Seattle, NYC) run $3-15k sign-on paid at 30/60/90-day milestones.
- βEducation support β Section 127 tuition reimbursement caps at $5,250/yr federal tax-free; universities routinely bump this to full tuition remission for the officer and family. Negotiate this alongside base if the officer-to-degree track is your target (Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Emergency Management BA/BS).
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Protective Service Workers, All Other Salary by State
Best Cities (cost-adjusted) βSalary Map β Click a state for details
Top Paying States
| State | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $88,960 | +109.1% |
| District of Columbia | $88,570 | +108.2% |
| Alabama | $86,350 | +103.0% |
| New Mexico | $64,940 | +52.7% |
| Wisconsin | $57,620 | +35.4% |
| Vermont | $57,490 | +35.1% |
| Hawaii | $57,370 | +34.9% |
| Alaska | $56,120 | +31.9% |
| New Jersey | $54,950 | +29.2% |
| Nevada | $54,790 | +28.8% |
Protective Service Workers, All Other Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Albany, OR | $70,180 | +65.0% |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | $69,240 | +62.8% |
| Reno, NV | $63,250 | +48.7% |
| Medford, OR | $62,400 | +46.7% |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $61,630 | +44.9% |
| Grants Pass, OR | $60,900 | +43.2% |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $60,590 | +42.4% |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | $60,230 | +41.6% |
| Madison, WI | $59,140 | +39.0% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $58,780 | +38.2% |