Physical Security recruiters serving Richmond.
Richmond has 37% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 500 in the metro. BLS counts 39 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 Richmond.
BLS counts about 4,580 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Richmond metro, the largest group being electricians (about 3,600). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.37). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Richmond: 500 employed · $59,560 median, 68th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Richmond: 3,600 employed · $61,350 median, 67th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Richmond: 1,270 employed · $110,350 median, 53rd-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Richmond: 1,080 employed · $77,540 median, 62nd-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Richmond: 480 employed · $85,510 median, 16th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Richmond: 4,460 employed · $76,630 median, 71st-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Richmond.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Richmond earn a median $59,560, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 68th of 110 metros. Pay runs $38,770 at the tenth percentile to $77,750 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $85,510 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Richmond 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) | $59,560 | $38,770–$77,750 | $60,070 | −1% | 500 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $61,350 | $39,070–$80,740 | $63,190 | −3% | 3,600 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $110,350 | $79,580–$191,940 | $114,990 | −4% | 1,270 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $77,540 | $48,520–$114,270 | $78,740 | −2% | 1,080 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $85,510 | $58,820–$132,450 | $78,190 | +9% | 480 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $76,630 | $53,000–$108,220 | $79,920 | −4% | 4,460 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Richmond 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 Richmond's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Richmond rose from 30 in 2018 to 39 in 2023, up 30%, ahead of the 18% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 108%, to about 1,040 people. Average annual pay there went from $67,445 to $65,121 (−3%), slower than the 26% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 30 | 39 | +30% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 500 | 1,040 | +108% |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $67,445 | $65,121 | −3% |
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
Richmond runs 37% 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 Richmond's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Richmond ranks 41st for headcount, 64th for median pay and 24th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 500 | $59,560 | 1.37 | 39 |
| Virginia Beach | 370 | $60,440 | 0.88 | 38 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Richmond, 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, Richmond metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Virginia.
Electronic security businesses need a private security services business license, and technicians must register. Registration requires 14 hours of entry-level training and fingerprinting. The same state rules apply in Virginia Beach, so candidates licensed there can work in Richmond without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Richmond talent.
The closest metro we cover is Virginia Beach, about 95 miles away, with roughly 370 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.7 times Richmond's 500). Washington, D.C. pays the most nearby, a $66,790 median, 12% above Richmond. That is the number any Richmond offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Washington, D.C. has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | – | 500 | $59,560 |
| Virginia Beach | 95 mi | 370 | $60,440 |
| Washington, D.C. | 95 mi | 1,610 | $66,790 |
| Baltimore | 128 mi | 1,220 | $62,130 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 134 mi | 80 | $47,050 |
| Raleigh | 139 mi | 600 | $59,580 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Richmond crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Richmond in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- CleanArc Caroline County campus~$3B (900MW, three buildings, ~1.47M sq ft total -- not the $11B/3.9M figure sometimes cited)Multi-year, broke ground
One of the largest data-center campuses announced along the I-95 corridor stretching toward Richmond - a massive draw on the same regional mechanical and electrical labor pool Richmond-based contractors compete for.
- Vantage Data Centers VA4 campus (Stafford County)$2B, ~929,000 sq ftFirst building expected late 2027
Three two-story buildings on 82 acres, further up the I-95 corridor. Part of the broader stretch of hyperscale development pulling data-center talent toward Richmond from Fredericksburg and points north.
- Richmond-area data-center capacity surge100MW → 800MW+ in H1 2025Ongoing, fastest of any US city
A sevenfold increase in six months - Richmond added more data-center capacity in the first half of 2025 than any other US city, growing faster than Dallas and Chicago combined. This is the single defining trend shaping commercial trades demand in the metro.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Richmond market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Richmond.
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 Richmond.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Richmond?
BLS puts the Richmond median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $59,560 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 68th of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $38,770 and $77,750, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Virginia metro we cover pays more for this work (Virginia Beach: $60,440).
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Richmond?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 37% more of the Richmond workforce than they do nationally, about 500 people. The 39 security systems integrators here average about 27 employees per location. With 30% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Richmond?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Richmond, a $110,350 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, 23% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $59,560. Relative to national pay, Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator is the strongest-paying role here (9% above). Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead trails national pay the most (4% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Richmond?
BLS counted 39 security systems integrators in Richmond in 2023, employing about 1,040 people between them. Up from 30 in 2018, a 30% increase against 18% growth nationally. That averages 27 people per location. They pay an average of $65,121, 19% below the $80,288 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Richmond for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Virginia Beach (95 miles, about 370, $60,440 median), Washington, D.C. (95 miles, about 1,610, $66,790 median) and Baltimore (128 miles, about 1,220, $62,130 median). Washington, D.C. has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Washington, D.C. pays 12% more, which is where Richmond employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Richmond 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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