Protective service occupations

Minor Occupation Group

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2021 Workforce

3.39M

Average Age

40.7

Average Salary

$58,133

Average Male Salary

$62,503

Average Female Salary

$43,528

About

Protective service occupations are most often employed by the Justice, public order, & safety activities industry. The average yearly wage for Protective service occupations was $58,133 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Protective service occupations are Dale City, Lake Ridge & Woodbridge PUMA, VA, Jamaica, Hollis & St. Albans PUMA, NY, and Ashburn, Washington Heights, Morgan Park & Beverly PUMA, IL. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Protective service occupations are Carr 2 (Sur) PUMA, PR, Ashburn, Washington Heights, Morgan Park & Beverly PUMA, IL, and Carr 52-Carr 150 PUMA, PR.

Photo by USAG- Humphreys

Service Occupations Protective service occupations

Employment and salary information for the Protective service occupations workforce. Protective service occupations workforce in 2021 was 3,386,028 people, of which 23% were women and 77% were men. Protective service occupations are paid most in San Ramon City & Danville Town PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Carr 2 (Sur) PUMA, PR.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

2,606,195

Male Workforce

± 39.3k

779,833

Female Workforce

± 21.6k

The Protective service occupations workforce in 2021 was 3,386,028 people (23% women and 77% men). This implies an average annual growth of 5.05% between 2014 (3,223,120) and 2021 (3,386,028).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Protective service occupations.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Massachusetts ($72,320), California ($70,968), and Maryland ($70,596).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$58,133

AVERAGE WAGE

#5 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Protective service occupations earned an average of $58,133, $1,462 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Protective service occupations in relation to all Minor Occupation Group in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.39

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Protective service occupations had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.39, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Protective service occupations (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Protective service occupations compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Protective service occupations and on wages for those in the field. Justice, public order, & safety activities is the industry that employs the most Protective service occupations, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Protective service occupations, by average wage, is Software publishing ($167,644).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

3.39M

2021 Workforce

± 44,664

1.55%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 1.84%

This graphic shows the share of Protective service occupations employed by various industries. Justice, public order, & safety activities employs the largest share of Protective service occupations at 71.8%, followed by Investigation & security services with 22.2% and Amusement & Recreation with 5.92%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Protective service occupations in the US. The workforce of Protective service occupations in 2021 was 3,386,028 people, with 23% woman, and 77% men. The average age of male Protective service occupations in the workforce is 41.2 and of female Protective service occupations is 39.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Protective service occupations is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Protective service occupations in 2021 was 3,386,028 people, with 23% woman, and 77% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (425,814 people), 30 to 34 years (420,450 people), and 35 to 39 years (403,575 people). Among them they concentrated 36.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 15.7% of Protective service occupations workers were Hispanic and 84.3% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (73.4%), Puerto Rican (20.2)%, and Cuban (6.35)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 66.2% of the Protective service occupations workforce were White, of which 19.3% were women and 80.7% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (6.35%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Protective service occupations from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Protective service occupations is Protective Services but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Protective Services.

Among the necessary skills for Protective service occupations, Active Listening stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Protective service occupations need more than the average amount of Negotiation.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Protective service occupations in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Protective Services (283,159 people), Business (144,643 people), and Social Sciences (102,723 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Protective service occupations workers were Some college (1,047,925 people), High School or Equivalent (796,052 people), and Bachelors Degree (737,575 people).

The graphic shows the Protective service occupations workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Protective service occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Protective service occupations need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking.