Physical Security recruiters serving Akron.
Akron has 26% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 220 in the metro. BLS counts 20 business locations of security systems integrators across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Akron.
BLS counts about 1,750 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Akron metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,360). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.26). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Akron: 220 employed · $61,280 median, 41st-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Akron: 1,360 employed · $77,360 median, 18th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Akron: 920 employed · $102,630 median, 86th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Akron: 530 employed · $77,490 median, 63rd-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Akron: 170 employed · $67,400 median, 79th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Akron: 1,390 employed · $80,660 median, 43rd-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Akron.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Akron earn a median $61,280, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 41st of 110 metros. Pay runs $48,530 at the tenth percentile to $75,120 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $77,360 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Akron median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security Systems Installer / Technician · Access Control Technician · CCTV / Video Surveillance TechnicianSecurity and Fire Alarm Systems Installers (49-2098) | $61,280 | $48,530–$75,120 | $60,070 | +2% | 220 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $77,360 | $46,360–$123,170 | $63,190 | +22% | 1,360 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $102,630 | $62,920–$161,140 | $114,990 | −11% | 920 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $77,490 | $50,030–$122,300 | $78,740 | −2% | 530 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $67,400 | $47,940–$105,810 | $78,190 | −14% | 170 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,660 | $58,520–$106,170 | $79,920 | +1% | 1,390 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Akron metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Akron's physical security market has changed since 2018.
Akron lost security systems integrators between 2018 and 2023, from 23 business locations to 20 (down 13%), behind the 18% growth nationally. BLS stops short of publishing headcount and pay for them here, which happens when a handful of firms account for most of the work.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 23 | 20 | −13% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Physical Security hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Physical Security · 2026 Physical Security Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Physical Security
Akron runs 26% more physical security workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Akron's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Akron ranks 67th for headcount, 38th for median pay and 38th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 580 | $62,660 | 1.00 | 63 |
| Columbus | 490 | $63,060 | 0.80 | 79 |
| Cincinnati | 330 | $63,300 | 0.54 | 56 |
| Akron | 220 | $61,280 | 1.26 | 20 |
| Dayton | 160 | $62,500 | 0.78 | 26 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Akron, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Akron metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Ohio.
Ohio does not license burglar alarm or security system installers at state level. Section 4740.13 of the Revised Code says directly that a person performing work on fire alarm or burglar alarm systems, cabling and tele-data sound systems, and communication systems using under fifty volts is not acting as an electrical contractor and needs no state contractor license. The Ohio private investigator and security guard licensing program under Chapter 4749 is guard licensing, since its definitions cover furnishing watchpersons, guards, patrol officers, guard dogs and armored vehicle services and say nothing about installing or servicing alarm systems, so that license is not the one to ask a technician for. Verify a state electrical contractor license only when line voltage work is in scope, and otherwise check the local building department's permit rules. The same state rules apply in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Dayton, so candidates licensed there can work in Akron without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: No state alarm installer license; Ohio Department of Commerce, Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board administers electrical contractor licensing under ORC Chapter 4740. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Akron talent.
The closest metro we cover is Cleveland, about 30 miles away, with roughly 580 security and fire alarm systems installers (2.6 times Akron's 220). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $55,560 in Detroit to $63,060 in Columbus, against $61,280 here. Detroit has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | – | 220 | $61,280 |
| Cleveland | 30 mi | 580 | $62,660 |
| Pittsburgh | 91 mi | 600 | $59,440 |
| Columbus | 110 mi | 490 | $63,060 |
| Detroit | 117 mi | 1,160 | $55,560 |
| Dayton | 168 mi | 160 | $62,500 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Akron crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Akron in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Akron 2026 Capital Budget$341.9M2026 fiscal year
Water/sewer infrastructure (including the Northside Interceptor Tunnel and $23.5M Brittain Road Reservoir replacement), $53M+ in transportation projects, and a multi-year Stubbs Justice Center renovation.
- Akron Children's Hospital Considine Building addition~$84M (230,000 sq ft)Completed 2018
Consolidated hospital functions previously spread across leased spaces into a purpose-built addition - a completed, historical example of the healthcare-construction capacity this metro delivers, not an active current driver.
- East End & Goodyear HQ redevelopmentUndisclosed (400-acre site)Phase II ongoing
A 642,000 sq ft consolidated Goodyear world headquarters already built, with Phase II reimagining the original 1.4 million sq ft Goodyear Headquarters and Goodyear Hall as a mixed-use "live, work, play" district.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Akron market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Akron.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end a physical security offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Physical Security credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Physical Security hiring in Akron.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Akron?
BLS puts the Akron median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $61,280 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 41st of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $48,530 to $75,120 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within Ohio, Cincinnati pays more, at $63,300.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Akron?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 26% more of the Akron workforce than they do nationally, about 220 people. There are 13% fewer of those firms than in 2018, so experienced people have fewer local employers to move between.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Akron?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Akron, a $102,630 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) at $77,360, 25% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $61,280. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (22% above). Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (14% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Akron?
BLS counted 20 security systems integrators in Akron in 2023. Down from 23 in 2018, a 13% decline against 18% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Akron for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Cleveland (30 miles, about 580, $62,660 median), Pittsburgh (91 miles, about 600, $59,440 median) and Columbus (110 miles, about 490, $63,060 median). Cleveland has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Akron has one of the deeper pools of security and fire alarm systems installers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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