Physical Security recruiters serving Louisville.
Louisville has 30% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 490 in the metro. BLS counts 45 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 Louisville.
BLS counts about 5,380 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Louisville metro, the largest group being electricians (about 4,340). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.30). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Louisville: 490 employed · $61,570 median, 37th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Louisville: 4,340 employed · $62,440 median, 57th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Louisville: 970 employed · $101,780 median, 93rd-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Louisville: 810 employed · $77,000 median, 66th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Louisville: 550 employed · $60,820 median, 103rd-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Louisville: 3,240 employed · $79,190 median, 52nd-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Louisville.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Louisville earn a median $61,570, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 37th of 110 metros. Pay runs $47,090 at the tenth percentile to $75,940 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $62,440 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Louisville 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) | $61,570 | $47,090–$75,940 | $60,070 | +2% | 490 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $62,440 | $37,700–$85,260 | $63,190 | −1% | 4,340 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $101,780 | $57,030–$199,460 | $114,990 | −11% | 970 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $77,000 | $49,920–$123,380 | $78,740 | −2% | 810 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $60,820 | $48,540–$98,270 | $78,190 | −22% | 550 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $79,190 | $54,730–$100,980 | $79,920 | −1% | 3,240 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Louisville 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 Louisville's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Louisville rose from 42 in 2018 to 45 in 2023, up 7%, behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Louisville, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 42 | 45 | +7% |
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
Louisville runs 30% 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 Louisville's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Louisville ranks 42nd for headcount, 34th for median pay and 34th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Louisville, 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, Louisville metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Kentucky.
Kentucky does not license burglar alarm, CCTV or access control installers. The Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction licenses plumbers, electricians, boiler contractors, sprinkler and fire alarm contractors and building inspectors, which means the same crew needs a state license for fire alarm work and needs none specific to security systems. Electrical licensing runs under KRS Chapter 227A with rules at 815 KAR Chapter 35, and KRS 227A.030 contains a narrow carve-out for low voltage power limited installations separated from the power source by a Class 2 or Class 3 transformer when performed by specified licensed trades. For a commercial security hire, confirm the fire alarm contractor license if fire alarm is in scope, confirm an electrical license if line voltage is in scope, and otherwise check local permit requirements. The Louisville metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (electrical licensing under KRS Chapter 227A and 815 KAR Chapter 35, and fire alarm contractor licensing); no burglar alarm or security installer license. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a physical security search in Louisville 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 Louisville than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Journeyman HVAC Service TechnicianA technician who ran his own HVAC company for six years, bringing owner-level judgment to every service call.
Nearby markets competing for Louisville talent.
The closest metro we cover is Cincinnati, about 90 miles away, with roughly 330 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.7 times Louisville's 490). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $57,860 in Nashville to $63,300 in Cincinnati, against $61,570 here. Indianapolis has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | – | 490 | $61,570 |
| Cincinnati | 90 mi | 330 | $63,300 |
| Indianapolis | 107 mi | 1,080 | $60,930 |
| Dayton | 134 mi | 160 | $62,500 |
| Nashville | 155 mi | 830 | $57,860 |
| Knoxville | 188 mi | 420 | $58,090 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Louisville crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Louisville in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- SDF Next Program (Louisville airport)$1B by 2030$335M+ invested through 2024; $280M+ more through 2026
A comprehensive capital improvement program at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, running concurrently with and adjacent to UPS's own Worldport buildout.
- UPS Worldport expansion and modernization$750M–$1.5BMulti-year, ongoing
Expansion of sort and cargo facilities, new and reconfigured cargo buildings, ramp and aircraft parking expansions, and automation upgrades to support higher nightly package throughput at the world's largest package-handling facility.
- UPS 747-8 hangar$220MOpened 2024, ongoing related work
A 275,000 sq ft hangar that can house two Boeing 747-8 cargo jets side by side - large-span structural and specialized aviation-facility construction.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Louisville market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Louisville.
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 Louisville.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Louisville?
BLS puts the Louisville median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $61,570 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 37th of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $47,090 to $75,940 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Louisville?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 30% more of the Louisville workforce than they do nationally, about 490 people.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Louisville?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Louisville, a $101,780 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) at $62,440, 39% below it. Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator is the lowest-paid field role at $60,820. Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (22% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Louisville?
BLS counted 45 security systems integrators in Louisville in 2023. Up from 42 in 2018, a 7% 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 Louisville for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Cincinnati (90 miles, about 330, $63,300 median), Indianapolis (107 miles, about 1,080, $60,930 median) and Dayton (134 miles, about 160, $62,500 median). Indianapolis has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Louisville 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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