Physical Security recruiters serving Tampa.
Tampa has 38% more security and fire alarm systems installers per job than the country as a whole, about 1,110 in the metro. BLS counts 146 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 Tampa.
BLS counts about 9,190 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Tampa metro, the largest group being electricians (about 7,170). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.38). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Tampa: 1,110 employed · $61,040 median, 46th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Tampa: 7,170 employed · $57,450 median, 95th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Tampa: 4,760 employed · $120,800 median, 33rd-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Tampa: 2,330 employed · $78,740 median, 48th-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Tampa: 910 employed · $66,890 median, 82nd-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Tampa: 9,840 employed · $74,980 median, 89th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Tampa.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Tampa earn a median $61,040, level with the $60,070 national figure, and 46th of 110 metros. Pay runs $40,610 at the tenth percentile to $77,970 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $66,890 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Tampa 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) | $61,040 | $40,610–$77,970 | $60,070 | +2% | 1,110 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $57,450 | $38,960–$76,700 | $63,190 | −9% | 7,170 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $120,800 | $63,200–$212,960 | $114,990 | +5% | 4,760 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,740 | $45,280–$128,780 | $78,740 | 0% | 2,330 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $66,890 | $47,900–$88,760 | $78,190 | −14% | 910 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $74,980 | $49,450–$116,550 | $79,920 | −6% | 9,840 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tampa 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 Tampa's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Tampa rose from 107 in 2018 to 146 in 2023, up 36%, ahead of the 18% national rise. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Tampa, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 107 | 146 | +36% |
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
Tampa runs 38% 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 Tampa's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Tampa ranks 16th for headcount, 42nd for median pay and 23rd for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 2,220 | $60,560 | 1.42 | 369 |
| Orlando | 1,430 | $60,380 | 1.82 | 133 |
| Tampa | 1,110 | $61,040 | 1.38 | 146 |
| Jacksonville | 1,090 | $60,670 | 2.56 | 66 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 330 | $60,440 | 1.95 | 54 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 260 | $58,550 | 1.36 | 39 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 170 | $59,620 | 1.27 | 26 |
| Port St. Lucie | 110 | $59,280 | 1.17 | 20 |
| Pensacola | 110 | $54,600 | 1.02 | 17 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 90 | $51,970 | 0.74 | 20 |
| Lakeland | 70 | $52,580 | 0.51 | 21 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Tampa, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Tampa metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Florida.
Alarm contractors are licensed as Alarm System Contractor I (all alarm systems) or II (excluding fire). Employees doing alarm work must be certified as alarm system agents, which requires board-approved training and an FDLE fingerprint background check every two years. The same state rules apply in Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, North Port-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Lakeland, Deltona-Daytona, Palm Bay-Melbourne, Port St. Lucie and Pensacola, so candidates licensed there can work in Tampa without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation). Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a physical security search in Tampa 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 Tampa than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterA fifteen-year experience floor on a single trade specialty took sixteen weeks to clear - and we cleared it twice.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterThe second of two pipefitter seats on the same project, filled from the same extended search.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterA journeyman pipefitter and foreman off large industrial projects, onto a major commercial job in four weeks.
Nearby markets competing for Tampa talent.
The closest metro we cover is Lakeland, about 30 miles away, with roughly 70 security and fire alarm systems installers (0.1 times Tampa's 1,110). Tampa pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($61,040 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Deltona-Daytona at $51,970.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa | – | 1,110 | $61,040 |
| Lakeland | 32 mi | 70 | $52,580 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 64 mi | 260 | $58,550 |
| Orlando | 77 mi | 1,430 | $60,380 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 98 mi | 90 | $51,970 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 101 mi | 330 | $60,440 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Tampa crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Tampa in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Moffitt Cancer Center - Speros FL life-sciences campus (Pasco County)Long-horizon research campusEarly phases underway, decades-long build-out
A new research and clinical campus north of the metro. Life-sciences construction drives premium demand for lab MEP, cleanroom-adjacent mechanical, and high-spec controls work.
- Tampa General Hospital campus expansionsOngoing capital programRolling through the late 2020s
One of the region's largest healthcare systems in a sustained expansion. Hospital work is the most demanding commercial mechanical and electrical environment - the trades who can do it are in shortest supply.
- Port Tampa Bay + MacDill AFB adjacency workSustained public + logistics pipelineOngoing
Florida's largest port plus a major military installation anchor a steady base of industrial, marine, and secure-facility commercial construction - federal and logistics work that keeps trades employed between private cycles.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Tampa market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Tampa.
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 Tampa.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Tampa?
BLS puts the Tampa median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $61,040 a year, about the same as the $60,070 national median. That ranks 46th of 110 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $40,610 and $77,970, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Florida metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Tampa?
Not by national standards. Security and fire alarm systems installers make up 38% more of the Tampa workforce than they do nationally, about 1,110 people. With 36% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Tampa?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Tampa, a $120,800 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $66,890, 45% below it. Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the lowest-paid field role at $57,450. Relative to national pay, Security Systems Project Manager is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (14% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Tampa?
BLS counted 146 security systems integrators in Tampa in 2023. Up from 107 in 2018, a 36% 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 Tampa for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Lakeland (32 miles, about 70, $52,580 median), North Port-Sarasota (64 miles, about 260, $58,550 median) and Orlando (77 miles, about 1,430, $60,380 median). Tampa out-pays Lakeland, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Tampa 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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