Physical Security recruiters serving Albuquerque.
Albuquerque has 107% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 460 in the metro. BLS counts 35 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 Albuquerque.
BLS counts about 3,290 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Albuquerque metro, the largest group being electricians (about 2,440). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 2.07). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Albuquerque: 460 employed · $61,240 median, 43rd-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Albuquerque: 2,440 employed · $59,120 median, 80th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Albuquerque: 1,210 employed · $101,650 median, 94th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Albuquerque: 520 employed · $73,090 median, 89th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Albuquerque: 390 employed · $102,250 median, 3rd-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Albuquerque: 2,280 employed · $75,070 median, 87th-highest of 112 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Rochester, NY, Sacramento, CA too.
What Physical Security roles earn in Albuquerque.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Albuquerque earn a median $61,240, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 43rd of 110 metros. Pay runs $34,900 at the tenth percentile to $77,220 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $102,250 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Albuquerque 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) | $61,240 | $34,900–$77,220 | $60,070 | +2% | 460 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $59,120 | $36,650–$81,310 | $63,190 | −6% | 2,440 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $101,650 | $69,860–$157,750 | $114,990 | −12% | 1,210 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $73,090 | $39,810–$115,970 | $78,740 | −7% | 520 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $102,250 | $58,930–$124,110 | $78,190 | +31% | 390 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,070 | $47,960–$99,770 | $79,920 | −6% | 2,280 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Albuquerque 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 Albuquerque's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Albuquerque rose from 30 in 2018 to 35 in 2023, up 17%, close to the 18% national change. 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 | 30 | 35 | +17% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 270 | – | – |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $52,819 | – | – |
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
Albuquerque runs 107% 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 Albuquerque's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Albuquerque ranks 45th for headcount, 40th for median pay and 4th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers. That puts it among the deepest physical security labor markets in the country.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Albuquerque, 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, Albuquerque metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in New Mexico.
Security systems and other low-voltage specialty systems at 50 volts or less fall under the ES-3 electrical classification. Circuits above 50 volts need a broader electrical classification.
Licensing authority: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Albuquerque talent.
The closest metro we cover is El Paso, about 230 miles away, with roughly 480 security and fire alarm systems installers (1.0 times Albuquerque's 460). Albuquerque pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($61,240 median), which helps when recruiting people in from El Paso at $55,420.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | – | 460 | $61,240 |
| El Paso | 230 mi | 480 | $55,420 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Albuquerque crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Albuquerque in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Sandia National Laboratories Power Sources Capability buildingOne of Sandia's largest projects in a decadeStarted August 2025; final beam installed April 2026; completing 2028
Replaces an aging facility with one designed to adapt to changing weapons-systems missions over the next 50 years. Federal-facility-grade mechanical and electrical construction at a scale few commercial projects in the region reach.
This is the only project we track in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Albuquerque.
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 Albuquerque.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Albuquerque?
BLS puts the Albuquerque median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $61,240 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 43rd of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Experience carries a clear premium, $34,900 at the 10th percentile against $77,220 at the 90th - a 2.2x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Albuquerque?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 107% more of the Albuquerque workforce than they do nationally, about 460 people. With 17% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Albuquerque?
Of the roles we recruit for, Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator pays the most in Albuquerque, a $102,250 median. Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the lowest-paid field role at $59,120. Relative to national pay, Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator is the strongest-paying role here (31% above). Security Systems Project Manager trails national pay the most (12% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Albuquerque?
BLS counted 35 security systems integrators in Albuquerque in 2023. Up from 30 in 2018, a 17% increase 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 Albuquerque for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are El Paso (230 miles, about 480, $55,420 median). Albuquerque out-pays El Paso, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Albuquerque 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.
Schedule a Discovery Call →