Physical Security recruiters serving Austin.
About 820 security and fire alarm systems installers work in the Austin metro, at a $59,790 median. BLS counts 85 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 Austin.
BLS counts about 9,400 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Austin metro, the largest group being electricians (about 7,340). 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
Austin: 820 employed · $59,790 median, 64th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Austin: 7,340 employed · $60,390 median, 72nd-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Austin: 6,040 employed · $102,980 median, 85th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Austin: 1,990 employed · $78,650 median, 51st-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Austin: 1,240 employed · $69,970 median, 69th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Austin: 8,010 employed · $77,800 median, 61st-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Austin.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Austin earn a median $59,790, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 64th of 110 metros. Pay runs $40,750 at the tenth percentile to $77,950 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $69,970 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Austin 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) | $59,790 | $40,750–$77,950 | $60,070 | 0% | 820 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $60,390 | $39,260–$78,820 | $63,190 | −4% | 7,340 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $102,980 | $69,740–$169,110 | $114,990 | −10% | 6,040 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,650 | $48,670–$134,230 | $78,740 | 0% | 1,990 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $69,970 | $31,330–$100,600 | $78,190 | −11% | 1,240 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $77,800 | $50,960–$105,030 | $79,920 | −3% | 8,010 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Austin 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 Austin's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Austin rose from 82 in 2018 to 85 in 2023, up 4%, behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Austin, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 82 | 85 | +4% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 1,126 | – | – |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $58,019 | – | – |
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
Austin 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 Austin's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Austin ranks 25th for headcount, 60th for median pay and 44th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 3,550 | $57,930 | 1.58 | 294 |
| Houston | 2,500 | $56,920 | 1.37 | 204 |
| San Antonio | 820 | $56,600 | 1.31 | 84 |
| Austin | 820 | $59,790 | 1.15 | 85 |
| El Paso | 480 | $55,420 | 2.55 | 33 |
| McAllen | 150 | $45,210 | 0.90 | 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 Austin, 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, Austin metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Texas.
Alarm installers and electronic access control device installers need individual licenses and must be affiliated with a company licensed by the department. Applicants go through fingerprint-based background checks. The same state rules apply in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, McAllen and El Paso, so candidates licensed there can work in Austin without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Texas Department of Public Safety, Private Security Program. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a physical security search in Austin yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Austin than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Chiller Service TechnicianChillers from one ton to 5,000-ton centrifugals, for data-center clients - placed in twelve days.
Nearby markets competing for Austin talent.
The closest metro we cover is San Antonio, about 75 miles away, with roughly 820 security and fire alarm systems installers (1.0 times Austin's 820). Austin pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($59,790 median), which helps when recruiting people in from McAllen at $45,210. Dallas-Fort Worth has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | – | 820 | $59,790 |
| San Antonio | 74 mi | 820 | $56,600 |
| Houston | 147 mi | 2,500 | $56,920 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 182 mi | 3,550 | $57,930 |
| McAllen | 282 mi | 150 | $45,210 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Austin crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Austin in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Samsung Taylor semiconductor fab~$17B (expanding toward $40B+)Phase 1 ramping, expansion ongoing
The single largest force in the Austin-area labor market. Cleanroom, process-piping, high-purity mechanical, and mission-critical electrical trades pulled to premium wages across the entire region.
- Austin-Bergstrom Intl Airport - "Journey With AUS"Multi-billion expansion programPhased through 2030
New concourse, terminal, and airfield work. Heavy mechanical, electrical, and specialty airport trades with rolling, phased crew needs.
- Apple Austin campusMulti-billion campus build-outPhased, ongoing
Class-A corporate construction driving high-end commercial MEP, finishes, and specialty trades in the north submarket.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Austin market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Austin.
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 Austin.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Austin?
BLS puts the Austin median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $59,790 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 64th of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $40,750 and $77,950, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Texas metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Austin?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 15% more of the Austin workforce than they do nationally, about 820 people.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Austin?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Austin, a $102,980 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $69,970, 32% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $59,790. Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Austin?
BLS counted 85 security systems integrators in Austin in 2023. Up from 82 in 2018, a 4% 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 Austin for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are San Antonio (74 miles, about 820, $56,600 median), Houston (147 miles, about 2,500, $56,920 median) and Dallas-Fort Worth (182 miles, about 3,550, $57,930 median). Houston has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Austin out-pays San Antonio, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Austin 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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