Physical Security recruiters serving Houston.
Houston has 37% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 2,500 in the metro. BLS counts 204 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 Houston.
BLS counts about 24,430 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Houston metro, the largest group being electricians (about 19,730). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.37). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Houston: 2,500 employed · $56,920 median, 84th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Houston: 19,730 employed · $59,180 median, 79th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Houston: 16,500 employed · $103,530 median, 81st-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Houston: 5,660 employed · $78,200 median, 53rd-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Houston: 2,200 employed · $69,410 median, 70th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Houston: 24,570 employed · $76,020 median, 80th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Houston.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Houston earn a median $56,920, 5% under the $60,070 national figure, and 84th of 110 metros. Pay runs $36,950 at the tenth percentile to $76,190 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $69,410 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Houston 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) | $56,920 | $36,950–$76,190 | $60,070 | −5% | 2,500 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $59,180 | $38,800–$84,470 | $63,190 | −6% | 19,730 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $103,530 | $68,500–$170,590 | $114,990 | −10% | 16,500 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,200 | $44,800–$132,450 | $78,740 | −1% | 5,660 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $69,410 | $39,410–$112,400 | $78,190 | −11% | 2,200 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $76,020 | $48,170–$119,090 | $79,920 | −5% | 24,570 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Houston 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 Houston's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Houston rose from 173 in 2018 to 204 in 2023, up 18%, close to the 18% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Houston, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 173 | 204 | +18% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 3,154 | – | – |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $60,653 | – | – |
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
Houston runs 37% 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 Houston's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Houston ranks 4th for headcount, 79th for median pay and 24th 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 Houston, 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, Houston 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, San Antonio, Austin, McAllen and El Paso, so candidates licensed there can work in Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Commercial HVAC Service TechnicianFive to ten years of commercial HVAC experience, EPA 608, and independent troubleshooting - filled in two weeks.
- Commercial HVAC TechnicianA lead technician who can also train the rest of the bench.
- Commercial HVAC TechnicianThe second of two technician seats on the same requisition, filled in the same window as the first.
Nearby markets competing for Houston talent.
The closest metro we cover is Austin, about 145 miles away, with roughly 820 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.3 times Houston's 2,500). Austin pays the most nearby, a $59,790 median, 5% above Houston. That is the number any Houston offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | – | 2,500 | $56,920 |
| Austin | 147 mi | 820 | $59,790 |
| San Antonio | 190 mi | 820 | $56,600 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 225 mi | 3,550 | $57,930 |
| Baton Rouge | 254 mi | 240 | $57,680 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Houston crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Houston in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Port Houston Bayport Container Terminal expansion$1B+2024-2027
Heavy civil, paving, large-scale mechanical. Crane operators and heavy electricians in tight supply.
- IAH Terminal D West expansion$1.46BThrough 2027
Airport-grade MEP, large-scale AHU installs, baggage system mechanical work.
- Texas Medical Center expansion (TMC3, MD Anderson, Memorial Hermann)$5B+ aggregated2024-2030
Largest medical complex in the world keeps expanding. Hospital-grade mechanical, isolation HVAC, OR work. Mechanical PMs with healthcare experience in extreme demand.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Houston market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Houston.
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 Houston.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Houston?
BLS puts the Houston median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $56,920 a year, 5% below the $60,070 national median. That ranks 84th of 110 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $36,950 at the 10th percentile against $76,190 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. Within Texas, Austin pays more, at $59,790.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Houston?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 37% more of the Houston workforce than they do nationally, about 2,500 people. With 18% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Houston?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Houston, a $103,530 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $69,410, 33% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $56,920. Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Houston?
BLS counted 204 security systems integrators in Houston in 2023. Up from 173 in 2018, a 18% 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 Houston for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Austin (147 miles, about 820, $59,790 median), San Antonio (190 miles, about 820, $56,600 median) and Dallas-Fort Worth (225 miles, about 3,550, $57,930 median). Austin pays 5% more, which is where Houston employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Houston 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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