Physical Security recruiters serving Minneapolis.
Security and fire alarm systems installers are scarcer in Minneapolis than in most of the country, 44% fewer per job, so the roughly 610 who work here are rarely short of offers. 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 Minneapolis.
BLS counts about 10,450 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Minneapolis metro, the largest group being electricians (about 8,810). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.56). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Minneapolis: 610 employed · $62,720 median, 25th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Minneapolis: 8,810 employed · $81,890 median, 8th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Minneapolis: 3,880 employed · $126,920 median, 21st-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Minneapolis: 3,100 employed · $82,440 median, 19th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Minneapolis: 1,030 employed · $78,280 median, 39th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Minneapolis: 8,310 employed · $103,290 median, 8th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Minneapolis.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Minneapolis earn a median $62,720, 4% over the $60,070 national figure, and 25th of 110 metros. Pay runs $31,230 at the tenth percentile to $103,240 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $81,890 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Minneapolis 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) | $62,720 | $31,230–$103,240 | $60,070 | +4% | 610 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $81,890 | $48,970–$123,250 | $63,190 | +30% | 8,810 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $126,920 | $80,020–$198,490 | $114,990 | +10% | 3,880 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $82,440 | $59,710–$125,460 | $78,740 | +5% | 3,100 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $78,280 | $55,740–$99,800 | $78,190 | 0% | 1,030 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $103,290 | $62,510–$130,160 | $79,920 | +29% | 8,310 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis's physical security market has changed since 2018.
Minneapolis lost security systems integrators between 2018 and 2023, from 52 business locations to 45 (down 13%), behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 55%, to about 967 people. Average annual pay there went from $47,873 to $69,180 (+45%), faster than the 26% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 52 | 45 | −13% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 2,163 | 967 | −55% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $47,873 | $69,180 | +45% |
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
Minneapolis runs 44% fewer physical security workers per job than the country as a whole — well 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 Minneapolis's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Minneapolis ranks 31st for headcount, 23rd for median pay and 90th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers. That makes it one of the thinnest physical security labor markets we recruit in.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Minneapolis, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Minneapolis metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Minnesota.
Low-voltage alarm, signaling, control and communication wiring counts as technology system work. It must be done by licensed power limited technicians working for a licensed technology systems or electrical contractor, or for a registered employer on its own property. The Minneapolis metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a physical security search in Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Asphalt Sales RepresentativeA decade of B2B territory sales in heavy building materials and industrial software.
Nearby markets competing for Minneapolis talent.
The closest metro we cover is Madison, about 235 miles away, with roughly 130 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.2 times Minneapolis's 610). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $48,820 in Omaha to $64,270 in Des Moines, against $62,720 here. Minneapolis is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | – | 610 | $62,720 |
| Madison | 233 mi | 130 | $63,240 |
| Des Moines | 234 mi | 280 | $64,270 |
| Omaha | 291 mi | 360 | $48,820 |
| Milwaukee | 298 mi | 270 | $62,460 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Minneapolis crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Minneapolis in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- University of Minnesota capital program~$284M (2026 capital request) -- the $1.5B+ figure found in public sources is a separate statewide bonding bill, not a University-specific totalPhased through 2032
Research labs, academic buildings, and health-sciences facilities. Institutional MEP with lab and cleanroom components.
- Medtronic campus & med-device facility expansionScale not independently verified regionally (Medtronic's $10B figure found in public sources is a national commitment, not Twin-Cities-specific)Rolling
Twin Cities is the med-device capital of the US. Cleanroom-grade mechanical, process piping, controlled-environment HVAC. Steady multi-year demand for cleanroom-experienced trades.
- Corporate HQ campus & entertainment-district projects$1.5B+Through 2029
Fortune 500 HQ renovations (Target, U.S. Bancorp, Best Buy) plus stadium-district development. Corporate-institutional MEP at scale.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Minneapolis market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Minneapolis.
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 Minneapolis.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Minneapolis?
BLS puts the Minneapolis median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $62,720 a year, 4% above the $60,070 national median. That ranks 25th of 110 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. The range is unusually wide: $31,230 at the bottom tenth against $103,240 at the top tenth, a 3.3x gap. Senior people here are priced far above the median.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Minneapolis?
Yes. Minneapolis has 44% fewer security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 610 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 45 security systems integrators here average about 21 employees per location. There are 13% fewer of those firms than in 2018, so experienced people have fewer local employers to move between.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Minneapolis?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Minneapolis, a $126,920 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) at $81,890, 35% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $62,720. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (30% above).
How many security systems integrators operate in Minneapolis?
BLS counted 45 security systems integrators in Minneapolis in 2023, employing about 967 people between them. Down from 52 in 2018, a 13% decline against 18% growth nationally. That averages 21 people per location. They pay an average of $69,180, 14% below the $80,288 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Minneapolis for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Madison (233 miles, about 130, $63,240 median), Des Moines (234 miles, about 280, $64,270 median) and Omaha (291 miles, about 360, $48,820 median). Minneapolis out-pays Omaha, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With security and fire alarm systems installers this scarce in Minneapolis, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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