Physical Security recruiters serving Columbus.
Security and fire alarm systems installers are scarcer in Columbus than in most of the country, 20% fewer per job, so the roughly 490 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 79 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 Columbus.
BLS counts about 8,450 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Columbus metro, the largest group being electricians (about 7,210). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.80). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Columbus: 490 employed · $63,060 median, 23rd-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Columbus: 7,210 employed · $64,700 median, 48th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Columbus: 4,000 employed · $105,200 median, 74th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Columbus: 1,570 employed · $79,990 median, 38th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Columbus: 750 employed · $60,260 median, 105th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Columbus: 5,420 employed · $82,360 median, 36th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Columbus.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Columbus earn a median $63,060, 5% over the $60,070 national figure, and 23rd of 110 metros. Pay runs $47,010 at the tenth percentile to $76,940 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $64,700 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Columbus 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) | $63,060 | $47,010–$76,940 | $60,070 | +5% | 490 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $64,700 | $46,090–$94,410 | $63,190 | +2% | 7,210 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $105,200 | $74,800–$165,770 | $114,990 | −9% | 4,000 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,990 | $49,440–$128,020 | $78,740 | +2% | 1,570 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $60,260 | $50,930–$93,790 | $78,190 | −23% | 750 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $82,360 | $61,010–$113,610 | $79,920 | +3% | 5,420 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Columbus 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 Columbus's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Columbus rose from 74 in 2018 to 79 in 2023, up 7%, behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 14%, to about 917 people. Average annual pay there went from $56,037 to $68,663 (+23%), slower than the 26% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 74 | 79 | +7% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 802 | 917 | +14% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $56,037 | $68,663 | +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
Columbus runs 20% fewer physical security workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Columbus's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Columbus ranks 42nd for headcount, 21st for median pay and 73rd 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 Columbus, 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, Columbus 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, Cleveland, Dayton and Akron, so candidates licensed there can work in Columbus 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 Columbus talent.
The closest metro we cover is Dayton, about 65 miles away, with roughly 160 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.3 times Columbus's 490). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $59,440 in Pittsburgh to $63,300 in Cincinnati, against $63,060 here.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | – | 490 | $63,060 |
| Dayton | 65 mi | 160 | $62,500 |
| Cincinnati | 99 mi | 330 | $63,300 |
| Akron | 110 mi | 220 | $61,280 |
| Cleveland | 126 mi | 580 | $62,660 |
| Pittsburgh | 162 mi | 600 | $59,440 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Columbus crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Columbus in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Intel Ohio One semiconductor fab$28BUnder construction, multi-year buildout
New Albany chip fab campus - crews have logged 6.4M+ work hours, poured 200,000+ cubic yards of concrete, and installed sub-utility trenches. The single largest private capital project in Ohio history and the anchor of the region's industrial-trades demand.
- Meta "Prometheus" data centerMulti-billion, undisclosedCompleting construction in 2026
New Albany campus that will be the world's first data center requiring over 1 gigawatt of power. Massive electrical distribution and mechanical cooling scope, concentrated in a single build.
- Google Central Ohio data center campuses$1.7BOngoing
Three campuses across New Albany, Columbus, and Lancaster. Sustained demand for industrial electricians and mechanical crews with data-center commissioning experience.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Columbus market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Columbus.
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 Columbus.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Columbus?
BLS puts the Columbus median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $63,060 a year, 5% above the $60,070 national median. That ranks 23rd of 110 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $47,010 to $76,940 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 Columbus?
Yes. Columbus has 20% fewer security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 490 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 79 security systems integrators here average about 12 employees per location.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Columbus?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Columbus, a $105,200 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) at $64,700, 38% below it. Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator is the lowest-paid field role at $60,260. 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 (23% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Columbus?
BLS counted 79 security systems integrators in Columbus in 2023, employing about 917 people between them. Up from 74 in 2018, a 7% increase against 18% growth nationally. That averages 12 people per location. They pay an average of $68,663, 14% below the $80,288 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Columbus for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Dayton (65 miles, about 160, $62,500 median), Cincinnati (99 miles, about 330, $63,300 median) and Akron (110 miles, about 220, $61,280 median).
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With security and fire alarm systems installers this scarce in Columbus, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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