Physical Security Engineer Salary in the United States
How much does a Physical Security Engineer make in the United States?
As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Physical Security Engineer in the United States is $89,972 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $43.
However, a Physical Security Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $109,627
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $79,469 to $100,260
Key Factors That Influence Physical Security Engineer Salaries
A Physical Security Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Physical Security Engineer Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Physical Security Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Physical Security Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Physical Security Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $99,617.
California: $99,239.
Massachusetts: $97,917.
District of Columbia$99,617
California$99,239
Massachusetts$97,917
Washington$97,557
New Jersey$97,521
Alaska$97,395
Connecticut$96,153
New York$95,649
Hawaii$94,039
Rhode Island$93,283
Maryland$92,770
Minnesota$92,068
Colorado$91,798
Illinois$91,708
Oregon$91,367
Delaware$91,115
New Hampshire$90,956
Virginia$90,602
Pennsylvania$89,567
Nevada$89,045
North Dakota$88,874
Michigan$88,604
Wisconsin$88,505
Vermont$88,308
Texas$87,759
Maine$87,723
Arizona$87,669
Ohio$87,606
Georgia$86,778
Indiana$86,364
Wyoming$86,283
Utah$86,157
Iowa$86,103
Kansas$85,671
Louisiana$85,545
North Carolina$85,500
Missouri$85,482
Florida$85,132
Montana$84,943
Nebraska$84,763
Kentucky$84,664
South Carolina$84,304
Tennessee$84,079
Idaho$83,989
New Mexico$83,332
Oklahoma$83,188
Alabama$82,657
South Dakota$81,767
Arkansas$81,281
West Virginia$81,020
Mississippi$80,237
Top Paying Cities for Physical Security Engineers
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $113,482
San Francisco: $112,239
Oakland: $109,874
San Jose, CA$113,482
San Francisco, CA$112,239
Oakland, CA$109,874
New York, NY$103,593
Paramus, NJ$102,333
Queens Village, NY$102,329
Passaic, NJ$102,243
Bergenfield, NJ$102,235
Stamford, CT$102,037
Huntington, NY$102,000
Newark, NJ$101,335
Bridgeport, CT$101,146
Vallejo, CA$100,967
New Brunswick, NJ$100,931
Petaluma, CA$100,877
Middlesex, NJ$100,706
Somerset, NJ$100,643
Santa Cruz, CA$100,526
Boston, MA$99,977
Monterey, CA$99,661
Seattle, WA$99,455
Santa Rosa, CA$99,437
Los Angeles, CA$99,410
Juneau, AK$99,176
Washington, DC$99,077
Orange, CA$98,757
Santa Ana, CA$98,519
Long Beach, CA$98,429
Anaheim, CA$98,411
Anchorage, AK$98,366
Santa Maria, CA$98,096
Everett, WA$98,078
Danbury, CT$97,762
Bremerton, WA$97,638
Tacoma, WA$97,314
New Suffolk, NY$97,312
Sacramento, CA$97,287
Santa Barbara, CA$97,188
Trenton, NJ$97,089
San Diego, CA$97,089
Brockton, MA$96,990
Fairbanks, AK$96,769
Lompoc, CA$96,540
Lowell, MA$96,467
Ventura, CA$96,450
Nashua, NH$96,432
Stockton, CA$96,423
Modesto, CA$95,766
Poughkeepsie, NY$95,568
Olympia, WA$95,397
Kennewick, WA$95,397
New Haven, CT$95,361
Lawrence, MA$95,037
Hartford, CT$94,947
Riverside, CA$94,929
New Bedford, MA$94,839
Richland, WA$94,839
Bakersfield, CA$94,714
San Bernardino, CA$94,678
New Britain, CT$94,669
Atlantic City, NJ$94,669
New London, CT$94,633
Norwich, CT$94,606
Portsmouth, NH$94,588
Boulder, CO$94,397
Portland, OR$94,273
Worcester, MA$94,264
Minneapolis, MN$93,985
Philadelphia, PA$93,859
Honolulu, HI$93,562
Saint Paul, MN$93,519
Vineland, NJ$93,499
Providence, RI$93,238
Chicago, IL$92,977
Bellingham, WA$92,869
Springfield, MA$92,797
Baltimore, MD$92,770
Chico, CA$92,545
Pittsfield, MA$92,302
Manchester, NH$92,131
Spokane, WA$91,735
Denver, CO$91,726
Albany, NY$91,304
Troy, NY$91,268
Nassau, NY$91,171
Schenectady, NY$91,079
Wilmington, DE$91,007
Burlington, VT$90,881
Salem, OR$90,845
Portland, ME$90,566
Yakima, WA$90,476
Rochester, MN$90,197
Reno, NV$90,152
Fresno, CA$90,152
Milwaukee, WI$90,071
Detroit, MI$89,981
Ann Arbor, MI$89,966
Allentown, PA$89,954
Colorado Springs, CO$89,801
Syracuse, NY$89,756
Carson City, NV$89,756
Houston, TX$89,630
Eugene, OR$89,585
Gary, IN$89,477
Springfield, OR$89,405
Bismarck, ND$89,387
Galveston, TX$89,324
Medford, OR$89,189
Fort Collins, CO$89,153
Concord, NH$89,108
Austin, TX$89,081
Mesa, AZ$88,892
Reading, PA$88,883
Phoenix, AZ$88,874
Dallas, TX$88,847
Saint Cloud, MN$88,761
Madison, WI$88,640
Utica, NY$88,397
Rochester, NY$88,254
Des Moines, IA$88,245
Raleigh, NC$88,236
Atlanta, GA$88,101
Battle Creek, MI$88,074
Salt Lake City, UT$88,047
Lancaster, PA$87,912
Harrisburg, PA$87,786
Kansas City, MO$87,696
Champaign, IL$87,678
Kansas City, KS$87,678
Fort Worth, TX$87,669
Columbus, OH$87,653
Boca Raton, FL$87,633
Pittsburgh, PA$87,597
Richmond, VA$87,561
Indianapolis, IN$87,543
Cleveland, OH$87,534
Las Vegas, NV$87,426
Cincinnati, OH$87,426
Petersburg, VA$87,291
Huntsville, AL$87,156
Lansing, MI$87,096
Lebanon, PA$87,084
Pueblo, CO$87,075
Appleton, WI$87,048
Buffalo, NY$87,012
Dayton, OH$86,985
Racine, WI$86,967
Charlotte, NC$86,958
Saint Louis, MO$86,931
York, PA$86,877
Elkhart, IN$86,877
Gastonia, NC$86,860
Billings, MT$86,838
Beaumont, TX$86,814
Lorain, OH$86,796
Benton Harbor, MI$86,778
Toledo, OH$86,760
Binghamton, NY$86,715
Rock Hill, SC$86,706
Rockford, IL$86,661
Springfield, IL$86,625
Elyria, OH$86,616
Fargo, ND$86,616
Flagstaff, AZ$86,553
Fort Lauderdale, FL$86,499
Duluth, MN$86,445
Miami, FL$86,445
Cheyenne, WY$86,382
Grand Forks, ND$86,382
Bangor, ME$86,184
Cedar Rapids, IA$86,085
Durham, NC$86,047
Louisville, KY$86,040
Grand Rapids, MI$86,022
Hialeah, FL$86,013
Casper, WY$85,887
Scranton, PA$85,779
New Orleans, LA$85,752
Virginia Beach, VA$85,743
Akron, OH$85,698
Peoria, IL$85,581
Sarasota, FL$85,563
Nashville, TN$85,500
Omaha, NE$85,500
Green Bay, WI$85,500
Baton Rouge, LA$85,455
Charleston, SC$85,437
Jamestown, NY$85,392
Davenport, IA$85,392
Tucson, AZ$85,347
Saint Petersburg, FL$85,293
Tampa, FL$85,275
Evansville, IN$85,221
Port Arthur, TX$85,221
Bradenton, FL$85,185
Santa Fe, NM$85,024
Orlando, FL$84,862
Clearwater, FL$84,835
Canton, OH$84,646
La Crosse, WI$84,646
Albuquerque, NM$84,592
Newport News, VA$84,583
High Point, NC$84,556
Ogden, UT$84,520
Corpus Christi, TX$84,448
Norfolk, VA$84,394
Laramie, WY$84,394
Rock Island, IL$84,340
Saginaw, MI$84,322
Jacksonville, FL$84,313
Salisbury, NC$84,295
Boise, ID$84,277
Moline, IL$84,232
Fort Myers, FL$84,205
Memphis, TN$84,187
Tulsa, OK$84,142
Waterloo, IA$84,088
Spartanburg, SC$83,998
Lincoln, NE$83,953
Fort Wayne, IN$83,935
Provo, UT$83,926
Cedar Falls, IA$83,818
San Antonio, TX$83,782
Greensboro, NC$83,746
South Bend, IN$83,737
Savannah, GA$83,638
Muskegon, MI$83,602
Birmingham, AL$83,593
Winston Salem, NC$83,549
Lake Charles, LA$83,332
Anderson, IN$83,314
Lexington, KY$83,287
Augusta, GA$83,260
Greenville, SC$83,260
Lima, OH$83,188
Wichita, KS$83,179
Tuscaloosa, AL$83,179
Columbia, SC$83,098
Springfield, OH$83,080
Asheville, NC$82,936
Bloomington, IN$82,873
Knoxville, TN$82,549
Shreveport, LA$82,540
Wilmington, NC$82,423
Roanoke, VA$82,423
Topeka, KS$82,261
Frankfort, KY$82,252
Oklahoma City, OK$82,189
Chillicothe, OH$82,153
Longview, TX$82,144
Melbourne, FL$82,135
Sioux Falls, SD$81,991
Mobile, AL$81,982
Terre Haute, IN$81,946
Altoona, PA$81,893
Amarillo, TX$81,830
Killeen, TX$81,803
Fayetteville, AR$81,731
Chattanooga, TN$81,704
Sioux City, IA$81,623
Idaho Falls, ID$81,605
Lynchburg, VA$81,533
Gainesville, FL$81,416
Portsmouth, OH$81,371
Little Rock, AR$81,353
Lafayette, LA$81,317
Youngstown, OH$81,317
Daytona Beach, FL$81,263
Clarksville, TN$81,254
Pensacola, FL$81,245
Temple, TX$81,238
Hopkinsville, KY$80,975
Erie, PA$80,957
Florence, SC$80,921
Charleston, WV$80,777
Great Falls, MT$80,732
Macon, GA$80,606
Tallahassee, FL$80,597
Fayetteville, NC$80,579
Waco, TX$80,561
Helena, MT$80,498
Pine Bluff, AR$80,464
Vincennes, IN$80,354
Lubbock, TX$80,318
Alamogordo, NM$80,264
Twin Falls, ID$80,183
Rapid City, SD$80,156
Jackson, MS$79,994
Huntington, WV$79,988
Greenville, MS$79,985
Parkersburg, WV$79,893
Montgomery, AL$79,877
Wichita Falls, TX$79,787
Springfield, MO$79,787
Biloxi, MS$79,742
Monroe, LA$79,652
Johnstown, PA$79,589
Sumter, SC$79,553
Columbus, GA$79,544
Pascagoula, MS$79,373
Abilene, TX$79,373
Kingsport, TN$79,139
Albany, GA$79,139
Gulfport, MS$79,112
Alexandria, LA$78,815
Fort Smith, AR$78,591
El Paso, TX$78,348
Las Cruces, NM$77,943
Harlingen, TX$77,714
Pocatello, ID$77,700
Florence, AL$77,583
Brownsville, TX$77,565
Mcallen, TX$77,376
Dothan, AL$77,250
Columbus, MS$76,716
Altus, OK$76,296
Lawton, OK$76,125
Pierre, SD$75,801
What Skills Can Increase a Physical Security Engineer's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Initiative (Mentioned in 3.76% Job Postings): Taking decisive action and initiating plans independently to address problems, improve professional life, and achieve goals.
Microsoft Office (Mentioned in 2.26% Job Postings): Microsoft Office is a suite of desktop productivity applications that is designed by Microsoft for business use. You can create documents containing text and images, work with data in spreadsheets and databases, create presentations and posters.
Content Creation (Mentioned in 1.75% Job Postings): Content creation is the contribution of information to any media and most especially to digital media for an end-user/audience in specific contexts. Content is "something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing or any of various arts" for self-expression, distribution, marketing and/or publication. Typical forms of content creation include maintaining and updating web sites, blogging, photography, videography, online commentary, the maintenance of social media accounts, and editing and distribution of digital media. A Pew survey described content creation as the creation of "the material people contribute to the online world."
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Physical Security Engineer's salary.
Physical Security Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Physical Security Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Software & Networking and Aerospace & Defense
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, Physical Security Engineer positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Transportation typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Physical Security Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for a Physical Security Engineer
Understanding how a Physical Security Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$79,469
Average$89,972/year
$100,260
$6,622
Average$7,498/month
$8,355
$1,528
Average$1,730/week
$1,928
$38
Average$43/hour
$48
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$100,260
$8,355
$1,928
$48
Average
$89,972
$7,498
$1,730
$43
25th Percentile
$79,469
$6,622
$1,528
$38
Salaries of Jobs related to Physical Security Engineer
Salaries for a Physical Security Engineer can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $83,233 in 2023
to around $81,744 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Physical Security Engineer salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Physical Security Engineer Over Time
$???
$83,233
$82,733
$81,744
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$83,233
2024
$82,733
2025
$81,744
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Physical Security Engineer
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Physical Security Engineer
Here are companies hiring for Physical Security Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Physical Security Engineer
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Physical Security Engineer?
The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Physical Security Engineer roles,
with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
