According the results of a new survey from ASIS International, security executives have received a slight increase in pay this year.
The ASIS International 2012 U.S. Salary Survey, which recorded responses from more than 1,400 ASIS members, found that the median compensation for security professionals increased two percent from 2011 to $102,000, while average annual compensation increased 14 percent to $121,000.
Those respondents that had a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) certification reported a median compensation of $111,000 and an annual average of $130,000.
Among some of the other findings of the survey included:
- Compensation levels varied by region. For example, security professionals in the South Atlantic region reported the highest media compensation of $115,000 and New England posted the highest average salary of $242,000. The West North Central region of the country reported the lowest compensation with a median of $88,000 and an average of $96,000.
- Individual qualifications most closely correlated with higher compensation include 1) years in security management (44% of respondents reported more than 20 years’ experience and earned a median compensation of $113,000 and an average of $134,000); 2) advanced degree (32 percent of respondent’s held a master’s and earned a median compensation of $116,000 and average of $138,000); and 3) certifications (57 percent of respondents held a CPP designation and earn a median compensation of $111,000 and average of $130,000; 11 percent of respondents held a PSP and reported a median compensation of $98,000 and average of $108,000, and five percent hold a PCI and earned a median of $102,000 and average compensation of $117,000.
- The top three sectors in regard to average compensation are: national resources and mining at $181,000; information at $153,000; and manufacturing at $142,000. Just 10 percent of respondents work in these sectors.
- Security professionals employed by publicly traded firms reported a seven percent rise in median compensation ($117,000) over 2011 numbers, while those employed by privately held companies saw median compensation rates of $100,000. Just 15 percent of respondents worked in the public sector. Of those, the state and local levels reported the lowest median compensations—$85,000 and $88,000 respectfully, with average compensation of $88,000 and $91,000. In contrast, those in the federal government earned a higher compensation than those in any other type of organization.
The survey will be available next month at the ASIS Intenational Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Philadelphia, as well as online at www.asisonline.org.
