Physical Security recruiters serving New Orleans.
New Orleans has 31% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 320 in the metro. BLS counts 76 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 New Orleans.
BLS counts about 2,740 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the New Orleans metro, the largest group being electricians (about 2,240). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.31). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
New Orleans: 320 employed · $59,910 median, 63rd-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
New Orleans: 2,240 employed · $62,490 median, 56th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
New Orleans: 800 employed · $122,050 median, 30th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
New Orleans: 470 employed · $81,170 median, 30th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
New Orleans: 180 employed · $85,510 median, 16th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
New Orleans: 2,130 employed · $77,700 median, 63rd-highest of 112 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Milwaukee, WI too.
What Physical Security roles earn in New Orleans.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in New Orleans earn a median $59,910, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 63rd of 110 metros. Pay runs $38,090 at the tenth percentile to $79,640 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $85,510 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | New Orleans 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) | $59,910 | $38,090–$79,640 | $60,070 | 0% | 320 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $62,490 | $38,990–$82,530 | $63,190 | −1% | 2,240 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $122,050 | $72,700–$182,390 | $114,990 | +6% | 800 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $81,170 | $47,210–$123,180 | $78,740 | +3% | 470 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $85,510 | $55,230–$120,140 | $78,190 | +9% | 180 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $77,700 | $52,090–$104,160 | $79,920 | −3% | 2,130 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, New Orleans 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 New Orleans's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in New Orleans rose from 63 in 2018 to 76 in 2023, up 21%, close to the 18% national change. Headcount at those firms went down 14%, to about 470 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $48,166 to $64,271 (+33%), faster than the 26% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 63 | 76 | +21% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 547 | 470 | −14% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $48,166 | $64,271 | +33% |
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
New Orleans runs 31% 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 New Orleans's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, New Orleans ranks 54th for headcount, 59th for median pay and 30th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 320 | $59,910 | 1.31 | 76 |
| Baton Rouge | 240 | $57,680 | 1.03 | 42 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in New Orleans, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, New Orleans metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Louisiana.
Security system work is licensed by the State Fire Marshal, which offers property protection endorsements for security, closed-circuit television and special locking. The same state rules apply in Baton Rouge, so candidates licensed there can work in New Orleans without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for New Orleans talent.
The closest metro we cover is Baton Rouge, about 75 miles away, with roughly 240 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.8 times New Orleans's 320). New Orleans pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($59,910 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Pensacola at $54,600. New Orleans 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | – | 320 | $59,910 |
| Baton Rouge | 74 mi | 240 | $57,680 |
| Pensacola | 174 mi | 110 | $54,600 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for New Orleans crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into New Orleans in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Port NOLA Louisiana International Terminal$1.8BMulti-year delivery, dedicated finance team recently staffed
A major new container terminal for the Port of New Orleans. Heavy civil, marine construction, and port-electrical demand at a scale the region's port infrastructure hasn't seen in a generation.
- Shintech petrochemical expansion (Iberville Parish)$3.4BMulti-year
A second ethylene unit and a fourth chlor-alkali/VCM unit at Shintech's existing complex - 163 direct jobs plus an estimated 655 indirect. Shintech is also the Port of New Orleans' top exporter by containerized volume, tying the petrochemical and port economies together directly.
- New Orleans Convention Center investment$557MMulti-year, completing late 2029
Major renovation and expansion of the city's convention infrastructure - conventional large-scale commercial construction distinct from the petrochemical/port economy.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The New Orleans market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in New Orleans.
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 New Orleans.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in New Orleans?
BLS puts the New Orleans median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $59,910 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 63rd of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Experience carries a clear premium, $38,090 at the 10th percentile against $79,640 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. No other Louisiana metro we cover pays more for this work (Baton Rouge: $57,680).
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in New Orleans?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 31% more of the New Orleans workforce than they do nationally, about 320 people. The 76 security systems integrators here average about 6.2 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 21% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in New Orleans?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in New Orleans, a $122,050 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $85,510, 30% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $59,910. Relative to national pay, Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator is the strongest-paying role here (9% above).
How many security systems integrators operate in New Orleans?
BLS counted 76 security systems integrators in New Orleans in 2023, employing about 470 people between them. Up from 63 in 2018, a 21% increase against 18% growth nationally. That averages 6.2 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $64,271, 20% below the $80,288 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with New Orleans for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Baton Rouge (74 miles, about 240, $57,680 median) and Pensacola (174 miles, about 110, $54,600 median). New Orleans out-pays Pensacola, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
New Orleans 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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