Physical Security recruiters serving Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has about 1,290 security and fire alarm systems installers, 13th of the 109 we cover, and still 20% fewer per job than the country - so they are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 190 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 Philadelphia.
BLS counts about 12,810 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Philadelphia metro, the largest group being electricians (about 10,090). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.80). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Philadelphia: 1,290 employed · $61,870 median, 33rd-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Philadelphia: 10,090 employed · $74,590 median, 31st-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Philadelphia: 3,390 employed · $124,990 median, 26th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Philadelphia: 4,190 employed · $79,880 median, 39th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Philadelphia: 1,430 employed · $81,220 median, 30th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Philadelphia: 10,700 employed · $95,840 median, 16th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Philadelphia.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Philadelphia earn a median $61,870, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 33rd of 110 metros. Pay runs $39,520 at the tenth percentile to $81,890 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $81,220 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Philadelphia 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) | $61,870 | $39,520–$81,890 | $60,070 | +3% | 1,290 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $74,590 | $46,980–$132,610 | $63,190 | +18% | 10,090 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $124,990 | $84,010–$204,560 | $114,990 | +9% | 3,390 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,880 | $55,190–$131,320 | $78,740 | +1% | 4,190 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $81,220 | $52,400–$106,430 | $78,190 | +4% | 1,430 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $95,840 | $62,620–$151,490 | $79,920 | +20% | 10,700 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Philadelphia rose from 180 in 2018 to 190 in 2023, up 6%, behind the 18% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Philadelphia, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 180 | 190 | +6% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 3,298 | – | – |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $68,733 | – | – |
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
Philadelphia runs 20% fewer physical security workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Philadelphia's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Philadelphia ranks 13th for headcount, 31st for median pay and 73rd for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 1,290 | $61,870 | 0.80 | 190 |
| Pittsburgh | 600 | $59,440 | 0.96 | 47 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 300 | $61,280 | 1.45 | 26 |
| Scranton | 110 | $56,790 | 0.76 | 8 |
| Lancaster | 90 | $58,290 | 0.62 | 9 |
| Harrisburg | 60 | $59,990 | 0.33 | 13 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Philadelphia, the headline number is misleading. About 1,290 security and fire alarm systems installers work here, one of the larger workforces we cover, but relative to the size of the local economy the trade is thinner than average, so every other employer is drawing on the same people. Expect to recruit people who are already employed, and to make the case for moving.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Philadelphia metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania does not license alarm or security system installers, and it does not license electricians either. The Department of Labor and Industry states that the Commonwealth has no licensure or certification requirement for most construction contractors or their employees, and directs contractors to their municipality. The state-level credentials people confuse this with, Act 235 lethal weapons certification and private detective licensing through the county Court of Common Pleas, apply to armed and investigative guard work rather than to installation technicians. Hire against the municipal trade license, for example an electrical contractor license from Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections, and note that Attorney General home improvement contractor registration applies only to residential work. The same state rules apply in Pittsburgh, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Scranton, so candidates licensed there can work in Philadelphia without re-qualifying. The Philadelphia 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 license; regulated locally, with Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections issuing trade licenses including the electrical contractor license. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a physical security search in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Service TechnicianA residential service technician for the King of Prussia and Philadelphia territory, coordinated around his relocation.
- Residential HVAC Service TechnicianFive days, and the technician brings test-and-balance expertise on top of service.
- Senior HVAC Service TechnicianA technician comfortable with whatever a building throws at him, not only the HVAC.
Nearby markets competing for Philadelphia talent.
The closest metro we cover is Allentown-Bethlehem, about 50 miles away, with roughly 300 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.2 times Philadelphia's 1,290). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $58,290 in Lancaster to $62,130 in Baltimore, against $61,870 here. New York has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | – | 1,290 | $61,870 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 48 mi | 300 | $61,280 |
| Lancaster | 61 mi | 90 | $58,290 |
| New York | 81 mi | 6,850 | $59,280 |
| Baltimore | 90 mi | 1,220 | $62,130 |
| Harrisburg | 94 mi | 60 | $59,990 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Philadelphia crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Philadelphia in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- University expansion (UPenn, Drexel, Temple)$2B+ aggregatedThrough 2028
Research lab construction (fume hood air, specialty exhaust). Student housing + academic building expansion.
- PHL Airport Terminal modernization (Transform PHL)$2B total program ($1B terminal-specific)Underway, no published completion date
Terminal expansion + concourse upgrades. Airport-grade MEP.
- CHOP Roberts Children's Health Tower$2.59BOpening late 2028
CHOP's active tower expansion is the real current driver of hospital-grade mechanical demand - medical gas, isolation rooms, and OR HVAC in tight supply. (Penn Medicine's Pavilion, sometimes bundled into this figure, is a separate, already-completed $1.6B project from 2021 - kept out of this total since it's no longer an active build.)
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Philadelphia market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Philadelphia.
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 Philadelphia.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Philadelphia?
BLS puts the Philadelphia median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $61,870 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 33rd of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Experience carries a clear premium, $39,520 at the 10th percentile against $81,890 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. No other Pennsylvania metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Philadelphia?
Yes. Philadelphia has 20% fewer security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 1,290 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Philadelphia?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Philadelphia, a $124,990 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $81,220, 35% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $61,870. Relative to national pay, Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead is the strongest-paying role here (20% above).
How many security systems integrators operate in Philadelphia?
BLS counted 190 security systems integrators in Philadelphia in 2023. Up from 180 in 2018, a 6% 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 Philadelphia for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Allentown-Bethlehem (48 miles, about 300, $61,280 median), Lancaster (61 miles, about 90, $58,290 median) and New York (81 miles, about 6,850, $59,280 median). New York has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Philadelphia out-pays Lancaster, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Deep pool. Heavily fished.
Philadelphia has 1,290 security and fire alarm systems installers, 13th of the 109 metros we cover, and still 20% fewer per job than the country. The pool is deep and every employer here is fishing it. Let's get to the ones worth moving first.
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