Physical Security recruiters serving Memphis.
Memphis has 88% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 640 in the metro. BLS counts 49 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 Memphis.
BLS counts about 3,650 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Memphis metro, the largest group being electricians (about 2,770). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.88). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Memphis: 640 employed · $57,000 median, 83rd-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Memphis: 2,770 employed · $60,890 median, 70th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Memphis: 670 employed · $107,710 median, 63rd-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Memphis: 630 employed · $76,660 median, 70th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Memphis: 240 employed · $75,850 median, 51st-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Memphis: 2,500 employed · $75,850 median, 82nd-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Memphis.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Memphis earn a median $57,000, 5% under the $60,070 national figure, and 83rd of 110 metros. Pay runs $37,610 at the tenth percentile to $79,440 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $75,850 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Memphis 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) | $57,000 | $37,610–$79,440 | $60,070 | −5% | 640 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $60,890 | $38,670–$84,890 | $63,190 | −4% | 2,770 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $107,710 | $65,750–$168,220 | $114,990 | −6% | 670 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $76,660 | $50,160–$122,900 | $78,740 | −3% | 630 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $75,850 | $34,040–$94,930 | $78,190 | −3% | 240 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,850 | $49,500–$109,280 | $79,920 | −5% | 2,500 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Memphis 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 Memphis's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Memphis rose from 44 in 2018 to 49 in 2023, up 11%, behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Memphis, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 44 | 49 | +11% |
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
Memphis runs 88% 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 Memphis's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Memphis ranks 30th for headcount, 78th for median pay and 7th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers. That puts it among the deepest physical security labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | 830 | $57,860 | 1.35 | 91 |
| Memphis | 640 | $57,000 | 1.88 | 49 |
| Knoxville | 420 | $58,090 | 1.77 | 39 |
| Chattanooga | 160 | $48,330 | 1.04 | 22 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Memphis, 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, Memphis metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Tennessee.
Alarm contractor companies must be licensed with a qualifying agent, in classifications that include burglar alarm and CCTV. Employees with access to sensitive alarm information must register, and both agents and employees need background checks. The same state rules apply in Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, so candidates licensed there can work in Memphis without re-qualifying. The Memphis metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Tennessee Alarm Systems Contractors Board (Department of Commerce and Insurance). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Memphis talent.
The closest metro we cover is Little Rock, about 130 miles away, with roughly 290 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.5 times Memphis's 640). Birmingham pays the most nearby, a $63,350 median, 11% above Memphis. That is the number any Memphis offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | – | 640 | $57,000 |
| Little Rock | 130 mi | 290 | $49,220 |
| Nashville | 196 mi | 830 | $57,860 |
| Huntsville | 198 mi | 150 | $61,080 |
| Birmingham | 217 mi | 610 | $63,350 |
| St. Louis | 240 mi | 780 | $58,980 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Memphis crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Memphis in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- FedEx "Hercules" sorting facility$400MGroundwork permit filed Aug 2026
A 5-story, 1.6M sq ft automated small-package sorting facility at Memphis International Airport, connected by an elevated bridge to FedEx's recently completed Secondary 25 sorting center. First-phase groundwork includes site demolition, drainage, underground utilities, paving, and foundation work.
- FedEx Memphis World Hub overhaul~$1BMulti-year, phased
FedEx's broader modernization of its Memphis air-cargo hub, the largest in the world. Sustained materials-handling electrical, structural, and industrial mechanical demand across multiple concurrent projects.
- FedEx International Priority Freight Shipment Facility expansion$18.1M3-phase, completing summer 2028
A ~500,000 sq ft commercial addition to an existing freight canopy at the World Hub - smaller in scale than Hercules but adds to the steady drumbeat of FedEx-driven construction demand in this market.
These are the 3 projects we track in Memphis. The Memphis market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Memphis.
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 Memphis.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Memphis?
BLS puts the Memphis median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $57,000 a year, 5% below the $60,070 national median. That ranks 83rd of 110 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $37,610 at the 10th percentile against $79,440 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. No other Tennessee metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Memphis?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 88% more of the Memphis workforce than they do nationally, about 640 people. With 11% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Memphis?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Memphis, a $107,710 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $75,850, 30% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $57,000. Security Systems Project Manager trails national pay the most (6% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Memphis?
BLS counted 49 security systems integrators in Memphis in 2023. Up from 44 in 2018, an 11% 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 Memphis for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Little Rock (130 miles, about 290, $49,220 median), Nashville (196 miles, about 830, $57,860 median) and Huntsville (198 miles, about 150, $61,080 median). Huntsville pays 7% more, which is where Memphis employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Memphis 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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