Physical Security recruiters serving Portland.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Portland earn a $76,630 median, 28% above the national figure, and about 730 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 89 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 Portland.
BLS counts about 9,800 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Portland metro, the largest group being electricians (about 7,340). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.08). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Portland: 730 employed · $76,630 median, 5th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Portland: 7,340 employed · $105,090 median, highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Portland: 2,690 employed · $146,740 median, 6th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Portland: 2,260 employed · $83,800 median, 15th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Portland: 1,730 employed · $77,990 median, 41st-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Portland: 5,880 employed · $112,480 median, 4th-highest of 112 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Ogden, UT too.
What Physical Security roles earn in Portland.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Portland earn a median $76,630, 28% over the $60,070 national figure, and 5th of 110 metros. Pay runs $49,530 at the tenth percentile to $101,310 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electricians, at $105,090 against $63,190 nationally.
| Role | Portland 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) | $76,630 | $49,530–$101,310 | $60,070 | +28% | 730 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $105,090 | $60,360–$134,380 | $63,190 | +66% | 7,340 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $146,740 | $88,500–$217,570 | $114,990 | +28% | 2,690 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $83,800 | $53,380–$141,340 | $78,740 | +6% | 2,260 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $77,990 | $56,960–$105,550 | $78,190 | 0% | 1,730 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $112,480 | $71,750–$159,920 | $79,920 | +41% | 5,880 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Portland 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 Portland's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Portland rose from 66 in 2018 to 89 in 2023, up 35%, ahead of the 18% national rise. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Portland, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 66 | 89 | +35% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 1,117 | – | – |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $70,024 | – | – |
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
Portland runs 8% more physical security workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Portland's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Portland ranks 28th for headcount, 5th for median pay and 49th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Portland, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Portland metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Oregon.
Low-voltage work is licensed as limited energy electrical activity. Only a Class A Limited Energy Technician may work on protective signaling, which includes burglar alarm and security systems; Class B excludes it. The Portland metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services). Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a physical security search in Portland 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 Portland than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Site SuperintendentTwenty years of construction and six as a superintendent, placed onto Portland-Vancouver jobsites in two weeks.
- Lead Fire Alarm TechnicianSeven weeks for an NFPA-licensed lead fire alarm technician - the right length for a life-safety role.
Nearby markets competing for Portland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Seattle, about 145 miles away, with roughly 1,000 security and fire alarm systems installers (1.4 times Portland's 730). Portland pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($76,630 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Spokane at $64,190.
What else is competing for Portland crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Portland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- PDX terminal program, Port of PortlandMulti-hundred-million, phasedMain terminal complete; phased work ongoing
The mass-timber main terminal is finished, but concourse and airfield phases continue. Specialty timber, glazing, and MEP crews with live-airport experience.
- Semiconductor manufacturing, Washington CountyMulti-billion, CHIPS-supportedRolling through 2030
The Silicon Forest fab corridor in Hillsboro is the defining industrial employer in this metro. Cleanroom mechanical, process piping, high-purity welding, and controls work - the highest-paying trades work in Oregon and a skill set with very few qualified local candidates.
- OHSU campus expansionPhased capital programVista Pavilion opening; further phases through 2029
Academic medical construction on a constrained hillside site. Med-gas plumbers, ICRA-trained mechanical crews, and superintendents who can run vertical work with near-zero laydown space.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Portland market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Portland.
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 Portland.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Portland?
BLS puts the Portland median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $76,630 a year, 28% above the $60,070 national median. That ranks 5th of 110 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $49,530 and $101,310, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Portland?
It is about average. Security and fire alarm systems installers are as common in Portland as they are nationally (location quotient 1.08), with about 730 in the metro. With 35% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Portland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Portland, a $146,740 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) at $105,090, 28% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $76,630. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (66% above).
How many security systems integrators operate in Portland?
BLS counted 89 security systems integrators in Portland in 2023. Up from 66 in 2018, a 35% 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 Portland for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Seattle (145 miles, about 1,000, $75,910 median) and Spokane (290 miles, about 160, $64,190 median). Portland out-pays Spokane, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
89 security systems integrators in Portland are drawing on the same 730 security and fire alarm systems installers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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