Physical Security recruiters serving Cincinnati.
Security and fire alarm systems installers are scarcer in Cincinnati than in most of the country, 46% fewer per job, so the roughly 330 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 56 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 Cincinnati.
BLS counts about 6,430 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Cincinnati metro, the largest group being electricians (about 5,640). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.54). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Cincinnati: 330 employed · $63,300 median, 20th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Cincinnati: 5,640 employed · $63,490 median, 50th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Cincinnati: 3,050 employed · $104,710 median, 76th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Cincinnati: 1,630 employed · $79,130 median, 44th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Cincinnati: 460 employed · $64,850 median, 90th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Cincinnati: 4,730 employed · $80,520 median, 48th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Cincinnati.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Cincinnati earn a median $63,300, 5% over the $60,070 national figure, and 20th of 110 metros. Pay runs $46,980 at the tenth percentile to $76,130 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $64,850 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Cincinnati 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) | $63,300 | $46,980–$76,130 | $60,070 | +5% | 330 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $63,490 | $38,530–$98,260 | $63,190 | 0% | 5,640 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $104,710 | $68,940–$164,310 | $114,990 | −9% | 3,050 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,130 | $50,800–$126,230 | $78,740 | 0% | 1,630 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $64,850 | $45,750–$105,680 | $78,190 | −17% | 460 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,520 | $57,820–$105,440 | $79,920 | +1% | 4,730 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Cincinnati rose from 51 in 2018 to 56 in 2023, up 10%, behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 32%, to about 1,013 people. Average annual pay there went from $64,110 to $80,460 (+26%), in step with the 26% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 51 | 56 | +10% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 768 | 1,013 | +32% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $64,110 | $80,460 | +26% |
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
Cincinnati runs 46% fewer physical security workers per job than the country as a whole — well below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep 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 Cincinnati's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Cincinnati ranks 52nd for headcount, 19th for median pay and 92nd for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers. That makes it one of the thinnest physical security labor markets we recruit in.
| 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 Cincinnati, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Cincinnati 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 Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton and Akron, so candidates licensed there can work in Cincinnati without re-qualifying. The Cincinnati metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
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.
We have not closed a physical security search in Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Junior Project ManagerA licensed architect placed into a project management seat after the firm lost its PM mid-project.
- Special Projects Sheet Metal TechnicianAn early-career sheet metal technician placed with onboarding support built into the plan.
Nearby markets competing for Cincinnati talent.
The closest metro we cover is Dayton, about 45 miles away, with roughly 160 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.5 times Cincinnati's 330). Cincinnati pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($63,300 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Indianapolis at $60,930. Indianapolis has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | – | 330 | $63,300 |
| Dayton | 47 mi | 160 | $62,500 |
| Louisville | 90 mi | 490 | $61,570 |
| Indianapolis | 98 mi | 1,080 | $60,930 |
| Columbus | 99 mi | 490 | $63,060 |
| Akron | 208 mi | 220 | $61,280 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Cincinnati crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Cincinnati in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- CVG air cargo and logistics expansionMulti-hundred-million, rollingOngoing
Northern Kentucky's airport is one of the largest air cargo hubs in North America. Sortation and logistics facility construction drives conveyor systems, industrial electrical, and high-bay mechanical work.
- Riverfront and stadium district reinvestmentPhased public-private2025-2028
Stadium renovation and riverfront development on both sides of the river. Mid-market vertical and specialty finish demand.
- Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project$4.4B (up from $3.6B estimate)Construction began early 2026, broke ground May 2026
Transforms an eight-mile stretch of I-71 and I-75 across the Ohio River, adding a double-decker cable-stayed companion bridge. The defining heavy civil program of the Midwest - structural steel, cable-stay specialty work, and multi-year sustained demand for bridge-experienced field leadership.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Cincinnati market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Cincinnati.
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 Cincinnati.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Cincinnati?
BLS puts the Cincinnati median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $63,300 a year, 5% above the $60,070 national median. That ranks 20th of 110 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $46,980 to $76,130 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Ohio metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Cincinnati?
Yes. Cincinnati has 46% fewer security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 330 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 56 security systems integrators here average about 18 employees per location.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Cincinnati?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Cincinnati, a $104,710 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $64,850, 38% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $63,300. Relative to national pay, Security Systems Installer / Technician is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (17% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Cincinnati?
BLS counted 56 security systems integrators in Cincinnati in 2023, employing about 1,013 people between them. Up from 51 in 2018, a 10% increase against 18% growth nationally. That averages 18 people per location. They pay about the national average of $80,288.
Which nearby metros compete with Cincinnati for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Dayton (47 miles, about 160, $62,500 median), Louisville (90 miles, about 490, $61,570 median) and Indianapolis (98 miles, about 1,080, $60,930 median). Indianapolis has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With security and fire alarm systems installers this scarce in Cincinnati, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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