Physical Security recruiters serving Cleveland.
About 580 security and fire alarm systems installers work in the Cleveland metro, at a $62,660 median. BLS counts 63 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 Cleveland.
BLS counts about 5,510 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Cleveland metro, the largest group being electricians (about 4,420). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are about as concentrated here as nationally (location quotient 1.00). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Cleveland: 580 employed · $62,660 median, 26th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Cleveland: 4,420 employed · $70,860 median, 40th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Cleveland: 2,630 employed · $101,440 median, 97th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Cleveland: 1,390 employed · $78,120 median, 54th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Cleveland: 510 employed · $64,140 median, 93rd-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Cleveland: 3,550 employed · $80,610 median, 45th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Cleveland.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Cleveland earn a median $62,660, 4% over the $60,070 national figure, and 26th of 110 metros. Pay runs $47,350 at the tenth percentile to $77,980 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $70,860 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Cleveland 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) | $62,660 | $47,350–$77,980 | $60,070 | +4% | 580 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $70,860 | $41,090–$100,330 | $63,190 | +12% | 4,420 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $101,440 | $58,560–$162,750 | $114,990 | −12% | 2,630 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,120 | $50,350–$128,440 | $78,740 | −1% | 1,390 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $64,140 | $48,520–$98,040 | $78,190 | −18% | 510 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,610 | $58,220–$106,340 | $79,920 | +1% | 3,550 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Cleveland 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 Cleveland's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Cleveland rose from 62 in 2018 to 63 in 2023, up 2%, behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 6%, to about 678 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $56,404 to $69,528 (+23%), slower than the 26% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 62 | 63 | +2% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 720 | 678 | −6% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $56,404 | $69,528 | +23% |
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
Cleveland sits at about the national rate for physical security — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 Cleveland's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Cleveland ranks 35th for headcount, 24th for median pay and 58th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| 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 Cleveland, the pool is about the national norm for its size, and local employers have trimmed headcount. That usually means experienced people are available but cautious, so the stability of the job matters as much as the rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Cleveland 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 Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Akron, so candidates licensed there can work in Cleveland without re-qualifying.
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.
Nearby markets competing for Cleveland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Akron, about 30 miles away, with roughly 220 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.4 times Cleveland's 580). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $55,560 in Detroit to $63,060 in Columbus, against $62,660 here. Detroit has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | – | 580 | $62,660 |
| Akron | 30 mi | 220 | $61,280 |
| Detroit | 90 mi | 1,160 | $55,560 |
| Pittsburgh | 115 mi | 600 | $59,440 |
| Columbus | 126 mi | 490 | $63,060 |
| Buffalo | 173 mi | 240 | $60,920 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Cleveland crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Cleveland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Cleveland Clinic Avon campus expansion$322MBroke ground July 2026, completing 2029
Multi-phase expansion of Avon Hospital and the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center, adding ~250,000 sq ft of clinical space in Lorain County. Sustained, multi-year mechanical and plumbing demand outside the core city.
- Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute$1.1BOpening January 18, 2027
1M sq ft, 210 inpatient rooms, 36 neuro ICU beds, 16 operating rooms. One of the largest single healthcare capital projects in Ohio, requiring hospital-grade mechanical, medical gas plumbing, and ICRA-compliant construction at scale.
- Cleveland Clinic Unified Operations Center$142M26-month build, completing late 2028
650,000 sq ft facility in Walton Hills for 526 relocated/new jobs. Large-footprint commercial construction and MEP fit-out, distinct from the hospital-grade work driving the other Clinic projects.
These are the 3 projects we track in Cleveland. The Cleveland market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Cleveland.
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 Cleveland.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Cleveland?
BLS puts the Cleveland median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $62,660 a year, 4% above the $60,070 national median. That ranks 26th of 110 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $47,350 to $77,980 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 Cleveland?
It is about average. Security and fire alarm systems installers are as common in Cleveland as they are nationally (location quotient 1.00), with about 580 in the metro. The 63 security systems integrators here average about 11 employees per location.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Cleveland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Cleveland, a $101,440 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) at $70,860, 30% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $62,660. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (12% above). Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (18% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Cleveland?
BLS counted 63 security systems integrators in Cleveland in 2023, employing about 678 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (62). That averages 11 people per location. They pay an average of $69,528, 13% below the $80,288 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Cleveland for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Akron (30 miles, about 220, $61,280 median), Detroit (90 miles, about 1,160, $55,560 median) and Pittsburgh (115 miles, about 600, $59,440 median). Detroit has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Cleveland out-pays Detroit and Pittsburgh, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
63 security systems integrators in Cleveland are drawing on the same 580 security and fire alarm systems installers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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