Physical Security recruiters serving Albany.
About 290 security and fire alarm systems installers work in the Albany metro, at a $62,420 median. BLS counts 18 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 Albany.
BLS counts about 2,870 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Albany metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,820). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.15). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Albany: 290 employed · $62,420 median, 29th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Albany: 1,820 employed · $74,890 median, 29th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Albany: 570 employed · $130,980 median, 13th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Albany: 620 employed · $81,290 median, 29th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Albany: 760 employed · $62,800 median, 96th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Albany: 1,840 employed · $83,750 median, 28th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Albany.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Albany earn a median $62,420, 4% over the $60,070 national figure, and 29th of 110 metros. Pay runs $43,090 at the tenth percentile to $81,270 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $74,890 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Albany 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) | $62,420 | $43,090–$81,270 | $60,070 | +4% | 290 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $74,890 | $46,130–$106,520 | $63,190 | +19% | 1,820 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $130,980 | $79,020–$219,090 | $114,990 | +14% | 570 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $81,290 | $49,470–$130,060 | $78,740 | +3% | 620 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $62,800 | $50,330–$99,610 | $78,190 | −20% | 760 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $83,750 | $60,440–$126,710 | $79,920 | +5% | 1,840 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Albany 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 Albany's physical security market has changed since 2018.
Albany had 18 security systems integrators in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018. Headcount at those firms went down 18%, to about 240 people. Average annual pay there went from $73,177 to $90,695 (+24%), in step with the 26% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 18 | 18 | +0% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 293 | 240 | −18% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $73,177 | $90,695 | +24% |
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
Albany runs 15% more physical security workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Albany's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Albany ranks 58th for headcount, 27th for median pay and 44th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 6,850 | $59,280 | 1.30 | 657 |
| Rochester | 400 | $60,520 | 1.46 | 33 |
| Albany | 290 | $62,420 | 1.15 | 18 |
| Buffalo | 240 | $60,920 | 0.79 | 26 |
| Syracuse | 230 | $61,410 | 1.37 | 17 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Albany, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Albany metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in New York.
Businesses that install, service or maintain security or fire alarm systems need a state Security or Fire Alarm Installer license. Both the licensee and employees who help with installation or service must submit fingerprints. The same state rules apply in New York, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, so candidates licensed there can work in Albany without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Albany talent.
The closest metro we cover is Hartford, about 80 miles away, with roughly 220 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.8 times Albany's 290). Worcester pays the most nearby, an $80,480 median, 29% above Albany. That is the number any Albany offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Albany is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | – | 290 | $62,420 |
| Hartford | 82 mi | 220 | $73,740 |
| Worcester | 103 mi | – | $80,480 |
| Bridgeport | 106 mi | – | – |
| Syracuse | 124 mi | 230 | $61,410 |
| Scranton | 130 mi | 110 | $56,790 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Albany crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Albany in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- GlobalFoundries Fab 8 expansion (Malta)$11.6B (plus $575M packaging/testing + $186M R&D)Began 2025, multi-year buildout
A new 358,000 sq ft semiconductor manufacturing facility on GlobalFoundries' existing Malta campus, creating 1,500+ direct jobs plus thousands of indirect jobs - the anchor of the region's two-decade-old chip cluster.
- Albany NanoTech High NA EUV Lithography Center$10B partnershipUnder construction
The first and only publicly-owned High NA Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Center in North America, at NY CREATES' Albany NanoTech Complex - cutting-edge semiconductor R&D infrastructure.
- Downtown Albany Strategy$200M ($120M projects + $40M housing + $40M community)Multi-year rollout
A three-fund investment strategy to revitalize the capital city's core - major projects, housing, and public-space improvements.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Albany market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Albany.
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 Albany.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Albany?
BLS puts the Albany median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $62,420 a year, 4% above the $60,070 national median. That ranks 29th of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $43,090 and $81,270, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other New York metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Albany?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 15% more of the Albany workforce than they do nationally, about 290 people. The 18 security systems integrators here average about 13 employees per location.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Albany?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Albany, a $130,980 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) at $74,890, 43% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $62,420. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (19% above). Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (20% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Albany?
BLS counted 18 security systems integrators in Albany in 2023, employing about 240 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (18). That averages 13 people per location. They pay an average of $90,695, 13% above the $80,288 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Albany for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Hartford (82 miles, about 220, $73,740 median), Worcester (103 miles, $80,480 median) and Syracuse (124 miles, about 230, $61,410 median). Hartford pays 18% more, which is where Albany employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Albany 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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