ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The median compensation for security professionals in the United States increased to $93,000, a 6 percent increase from 2009, according to new research by ASIS Int'l.
Results of the 2010 "U.S. Security Salary Survey" are based on the responses of 784 participants. The survey collected data from the current and preceding years and breaks out responses in 11 industries and nine geographic regions.
The survey examines trends in both average and median salaries since the two measurements can offer different perspectives. The average is a total of all items in the sector divided by the count in the sample, while the median is the precise midpoint of the range of all items reported.
The average compensation was $108,000, a 5.5 percent increase over last year. 2010 marks a continuation of a 5-year trend in which average compensation for salaried security professionals has risen 19 percent from $88,000 in 2006 to the current $108,000, according to the report.
Other key findings of the survey include:
Salaries for bottom-rung earners rose from $46,000 in 2009 to $52,000 in 2010. Those at the top of the scale saw their salary increase from $163,000 to $180,000
Respondents holding a professional security certification reported an average compensation of $118,000, 18 percent higher than 2009, and a median salary of $100,000. Those with no certification reported an average compensation of $100,000 and a median salary of $85,000.
The Mid-Atlantic region continues to offer security jobs with the highest compensation rates ($105,000 median), up 5 percent from 2009. However, the Mountain and eastern South Central regions offer the lowest rates of income and show stagnant or declining wages compared to other regions.
Federal government and law enforcement employees report an average salary of $114,000, and the highest median of any sector at $101,000.
Thirty-nine percent of this year's respondents are top-level security professionals at their organization; this group earns an average salary of $123,000 and a median of $100,000.
More than half (58 percent) of the survey respondents work for privately-held companies, a sector reporting an average compensation of $104,000 and a median salary of $90,000, according to survey results. Twenty-seven percent of respondents work for publicly held companies and reported the highest average compensation at $124,000, with a median of $100,000.
Full results of the 2010 ASIS Int'l U.S. Salary Survey will be available at the ASIS Int'l 56th Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Dallas, Oct. 12-15.