Physical Security recruiters serving Scranton.
Security and fire alarm systems installers are scarcer in Scranton than in most of the country, 24% fewer per job, so the roughly 110 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 8 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 Scranton.
BLS counts about 1,290 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Scranton metro, the largest group being electricians (about 1,050). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.76). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Scranton: 110 employed · $56,790 median, 85th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Scranton: 1,050 employed · $69,540 median, 41st-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Scranton: 210 employed · $108,500 median, 59th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Scranton: 340 employed · $75,720 median, 75th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Scranton: 130 employed · $82,150 median, 26th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Scranton: 990 employed · $78,660 median, 58th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Scranton.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Scranton earn a median $56,790, 5% under the $60,070 national figure, and 85th of 110 metros. Pay runs $36,550 at the tenth percentile to $75,050 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $82,150 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Scranton 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) | $56,790 | $36,550–$75,050 | $60,070 | −5% | 110 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $69,540 | $42,210–$118,180 | $63,190 | +10% | 1,050 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $108,500 | $76,500–$162,850 | $114,990 | −6% | 210 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $75,720 | $51,310–$118,180 | $78,740 | −4% | 340 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $82,150 | $53,220–$99,850 | $78,190 | +5% | 130 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $78,660 | $57,210–$124,990 | $79,920 | −2% | 990 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Scranton 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 Scranton's physical security market has changed since 2018.
Scranton lost security systems integrators between 2018 and 2023, from 11 business locations to 8 (down 27%), behind the 18% growth nationally. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. How many people those 8 locations employ is not published: with a category this small, BLS would effectively be reporting individual employers' payrolls.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 11 | 8 | −27% |
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
Scranton runs 24% 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 Scranton's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Scranton ranks 86th for headcount, 80th for median pay and 78th 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 Scranton, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Scranton 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 Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg and Lancaster, so candidates licensed there can work in Scranton without re-qualifying.
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 Scranton 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 Scranton than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC TechnicianA senior technician across commercial and industrial HVAC and refrigeration.
Nearby markets competing for Scranton talent.
The closest metro we cover is Allentown-Bethlehem, about 55 miles away, with roughly 300 security and fire alarm systems installers (2.7 times Scranton's 110). Philadelphia pays the most nearby, a $61,870 median, 9% above Scranton. That is the number any Scranton offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. New York has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scranton | – | 110 | $56,790 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 56 mi | 300 | $61,280 |
| New York | 99 mi | 6,850 | $59,280 |
| Lancaster | 100 mi | 90 | $58,290 |
| Harrisburg | 101 mi | 60 | $59,990 |
| Philadelphia | 104 mi | 1,290 | $61,870 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Scranton crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Scranton in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- NorthPoint Development data center campus (Hazle Township)UndisclosedPermit denied Nov 2025, developer appealing
A 15-building data center campus proposed on approximately 1,280 acres. Hazle Township supervisors voted 3-0 to deny the plan; the developer is now pursuing litigation/appeal, so this remains a proposal, not an active project.
- AWS data center (Salem Township)Part of a $20B combined AWS Pennsylvania investmentUnder development
One of two Amazon Web Services data centers in the state, with capacity Amazon has not publicly disclosed.
- Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center expansion$900MStructural steel complete July 2026; tower opens Q1 2028; renovations through 2030
An 11-story, 600,000 sq ft patient tower increasing capacity from 356 to 500 beds and operating rooms from 12 to 18, plus an expanded emergency department.
These are the 3 projects we track in Scranton. The Scranton market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Scranton.
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 Scranton.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Scranton?
BLS puts the Scranton median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $56,790 a year, 5% below the $60,070 national median. That ranks 85th of 110 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $36,550 at the 10th percentile against $75,050 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. Within Pennsylvania, Philadelphia pays more, at $61,870.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Scranton?
Yes. Scranton has 24% fewer security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 110 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. There are 27% 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 Scranton?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Scranton, a $108,500 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $82,150, 24% below it. Security Systems Installer / Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $56,790. Relative to national pay, Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the strongest-paying role here (10% above). Security Systems Project Manager trails national pay the most (6% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Scranton?
BLS counted 8 security systems integrators in Scranton in 2023. Down from 11 in 2018, a 27% decline 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 Scranton for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Allentown-Bethlehem (56 miles, about 300, $61,280 median), New York (99 miles, about 6,850, $59,280 median) and Lancaster (100 miles, about 90, $58,290 median). Allentown-Bethlehem has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Allentown-Bethlehem pays 8% more, which is where Scranton employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With security and fire alarm systems installers this scarce in Scranton, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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