Physical Security recruiters serving Birmingham.
Birmingham has 113% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 610 in the metro. BLS counts 53 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 Birmingham.
BLS counts about 3,620 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Birmingham metro, the largest group being electricians (about 2,780). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 2.13). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Birmingham: 610 employed · $63,350 median, 19th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Birmingham: 2,780 employed · $56,630 median, 99th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Birmingham: 2,460 employed · $102,170 median, 89th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Birmingham: 810 employed · $79,330 median, 41st-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Birmingham: 230 employed
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Birmingham: 3,720 employed · $71,280 median, 102nd-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Birmingham.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Birmingham earn a median $63,350, 5% over the $60,070 national figure, and 19th of 110 metros. Pay runs $48,380 at the tenth percentile to $77,550 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $56,630 against $63,190 nationally. BLS withholds Birmingham pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Birmingham 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) | $63,350 | $48,380–$77,550 | $60,070 | +5% | 610 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $56,630 | $38,880–$78,550 | $63,190 | −10% | 2,780 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $102,170 | $63,340–$162,950 | $114,990 | −11% | 2,460 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,330 | $48,290–$129,330 | $78,740 | +1% | 810 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | – | – | $78,190 | – | 230 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $71,280 | $48,070–$123,700 | $79,920 | −11% | 3,720 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Birmingham 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 Birmingham's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Birmingham rose from 47 in 2018 to 53 in 2023, up 13%, behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 53%, to about 1,089 people. Average annual pay there went from $62,876 to $58,689 (−7%), slower than the 26% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 47 | 53 | +13% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 713 | 1,089 | +53% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $62,876 | $58,689 | −7% |
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
Birmingham runs 113% 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 Birmingham's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Birmingham ranks 31st for headcount, 18th for median pay and 3rd for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers. That puts it among the deepest physical security labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 610 | $63,350 | 2.13 | 53 |
| Huntsville | 150 | $61,080 | 1.02 | 27 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Birmingham, 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, Birmingham metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Alabama.
Companies and individuals that sell, install, maintain or repair alarm systems, CCTV or electronic access control must be licensed, and individual licensees must work through a licensed company. Applicants undergo state and federal fingerprint-based background checks. The same state rules apply in Huntsville, so candidates licensed there can work in Birmingham without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Alabama Electronic Security Board of Licensure. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Birmingham talent.
The closest metro we cover is Huntsville, about 85 miles away, with roughly 150 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.2 times Birmingham's 610). Birmingham pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($63,350 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Chattanooga at $48,330. Atlanta has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | – | 610 | $63,350 |
| Huntsville | 84 mi | 150 | $61,080 |
| Chattanooga | 135 mi | 160 | $48,330 |
| Atlanta | 140 mi | 1,380 | $58,990 |
| Nashville | 183 mi | 830 | $57,860 |
| Pensacola | 216 mi | 110 | $54,600 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Birmingham crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Birmingham in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- UAB Biomedical Research and Psychology Building$190MBroke ground June 2024, completing summer 2026
An 8-story, 228,735 sq ft research facility housing wet and dry labs for the Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology. Lab-grade mechanical, electrical, and process-utility construction at a scale most Birmingham contractors rarely see.
- UAB Hospital North Pavilion / emergency department overhaul$73M ($38M North Pavilion permit)Multi-year, phased
Adds 59 new exam rooms and 66,030 sq ft of new construction to boost emergency-care capacity. Hospital-grade mechanical, medical gas plumbing, and ICRA-compliant construction.
These are the 2 projects we track in Birmingham. The Birmingham market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Birmingham.
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 Birmingham.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Birmingham?
BLS puts the Birmingham median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $63,350 a year, 5% above the $60,070 national median. That ranks 19th of 110 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $48,380 to $77,550 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Alabama metro we cover pays more for this work (Huntsville: $61,080).
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Birmingham?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 113% more of the Birmingham workforce than they do nationally, about 610 people. The 53 security systems integrators here average about 21 employees per location. With 13% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Birmingham?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Birmingham, a $102,170 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Security Systems Installer / Technician at $63,350, 38% below it. Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the lowest-paid field role at $56,630. Relative to national pay, Security Systems Installer / Technician is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Security Systems Project Manager trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Birmingham?
BLS counted 53 security systems integrators in Birmingham in 2023, employing about 1,089 people between them. Up from 47 in 2018, a 13% increase against 18% growth nationally. That averages 21 people per location. They pay an average of $58,689, 27% below the $80,288 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Birmingham for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Huntsville (84 miles, about 150, $61,080 median), Chattanooga (135 miles, about 160, $48,330 median) and Atlanta (140 miles, about 1,380, $58,990 median). Atlanta has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Birmingham out-pays Chattanooga and Atlanta, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Birmingham 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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