Physical Security recruiters serving Kansas City.
About 660 security and fire alarm systems installers work in the Kansas City metro, at a $61,480 median. BLS counts 71 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 Kansas City.
BLS counts about 6,970 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Kansas City metro, the largest group being electricians (about 5,400). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.08). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Kansas City: 660 employed · $61,480 median, 38th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Kansas City: 5,400 employed · $76,860 median, 22nd-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Kansas City: 2,180 employed · $121,790 median, 31st-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Kansas City: 2,290 employed · $78,940 median, 46th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Kansas City: 910 employed · $74,250 median, 59th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Kansas City: 5,860 employed · $84,100 median, 27th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Kansas City.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Kansas City earn a median $61,480, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 38th of 110 metros. Pay runs $46,450 at the tenth percentile to $78,040 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $76,860 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Kansas City 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) | $61,480 | $46,450–$78,040 | $60,070 | +2% | 660 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $76,860 | $46,280–$110,170 | $63,190 | +22% | 5,400 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $121,790 | $80,090–$173,800 | $114,990 | +6% | 2,180 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,940 | $47,660–$130,360 | $78,740 | 0% | 2,290 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $74,250 | $50,680–$99,250 | $78,190 | −5% | 910 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $84,100 | $58,670–$122,280 | $79,920 | +5% | 5,860 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Kansas City 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 Kansas City's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Kansas City rose from 58 in 2018 to 71 in 2023, up 22%, ahead of the 18% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 24%, to about 1,533 people. Average annual pay there went from $52,358 to $70,289 (+34%), faster than the 26% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 58 | 71 | +22% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 1,238 | 1,533 | +24% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $52,358 | $70,289 | +34% |
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
Kansas City runs 8% more physical security workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Kansas City's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Kansas City ranks 29th for headcount, 35th for median pay and 49th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 780 | $58,980 | 1.05 | 67 |
| Kansas City | 660 | $61,480 | 1.08 | 71 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Kansas City, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Kansas City metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Missouri.
Missouri has no state license for alarm or security system installers and no state alarm board. The one related state credential is the statewide electrical contractor license issued under RSMo 324.900 to 324.945, which covers electrical contracting regardless of voltage and which a political subdivision must accept in place of its own electrical contractor license. Practical licensing is local, so in St. Louis an alarm installation or monitoring business needs a Construction Industry Contractor Graduated Business License from the License Collector plus a communications permit from the Building Division, and Kansas City licenses contractors through its own program. Verify the city credential for the metro where the crew actually works rather than looking for a state technician card. The same state rules apply in St. Louis, so candidates licensed there can work in Kansas City without re-qualifying. The Kansas City 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; Missouri Division of Professional Registration, Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors issues the only related state credential, with alarm business licensing handled municipally. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a physical security search in Kansas City 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 Kansas City than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Commercial HVAC Service TechnicianA technician who has run his own HVAC business - customer instincts on top of the wrench work.
Nearby markets competing for Kansas City talent.
The closest metro we cover is Omaha, about 165 miles away, with roughly 360 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.5 times Kansas City's 660). Des Moines pays the most nearby, a $64,270 median, 5% above Kansas City. That is the number any Kansas City offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | – | 660 | $61,480 |
| Omaha | 165 mi | 360 | $48,820 |
| Wichita | 178 mi | 270 | $58,710 |
| Des Moines | 180 mi | 280 | $64,270 |
| Tulsa | 218 mi | 510 | $48,580 |
| St. Louis | 238 mi | 780 | $58,980 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Kansas City crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Kansas City in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- De Soto data center campus$3.1BUnder construction
A hyperscale campus adjacent to the Panasonic plant off 103rd Street and Edgerton Road near K-10. Power-systems electricians, mission-critical mechanical, and controls technicians - the same profiles the battery plant needs, competing head to head.
- Panasonic Energy battery plant, De Soto, KS~$4B facilityOpened 2025; second wing in operation 2027
Now employing roughly 1,800 with four production lines running. Construction has begun on a second wing, and in June 2026 the plant announced a shift toward producing battery cells for data centers, with first cells anticipated 2028-2029. Sustained industrial mechanical, process piping, and controls demand - not a one-and-done build.
- Domed stadium program, KansasMulti-billion, agreement announced December 2025Design and preconstruction
A large-venue program on the Kansas side. Still early, but it will draw large-venue superintendents and specialty systems crews into a market that does not carry deep bench strength in that profile.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Kansas City market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Kansas City.
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 Kansas City.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Kansas City?
BLS puts the Kansas City median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $61,480 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 38th of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $46,450 and $78,040, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Missouri metro we cover pays more for this work (St. Louis: $58,980).
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Kansas City?
It is about average. Security and fire alarm systems installers are as common in Kansas City as they are nationally (location quotient 1.08), with about 660 in the metro. The 71 security systems integrators here average about 22 employees per location. With 22% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Kansas City?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Kansas City, a $121,790 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) at $76,860, 37% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $61,480. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (22% above). Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (5% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Kansas City?
BLS counted 71 security systems integrators in Kansas City in 2023, employing about 1,533 people between them. Up from 58 in 2018, a 22% increase against 18% growth nationally. That averages 22 people per location. They pay an average of $70,289, 12% below the $80,288 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Kansas City for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Omaha (165 miles, about 360, $48,820 median), Wichita (178 miles, about 270, $58,710 median) and Des Moines (180 miles, about 280, $64,270 median). Kansas City out-pays Omaha, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
71 security systems integrators in Kansas City are drawing on the same 660 security and fire alarm systems installers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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