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Field of degree: Security and protective service

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Security and protective service field of degree. Employment: 1,427,240. Median annual wage: $62,000.

Table 1. Security and protective service degree, 2023.

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Table 1. Security and protective service degree, 2023
Data	Security and protective service	All fields
Employment	1,427,240	63,725,710
Median wage	62,000	70,000
Percent employed part time	11	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	37	62
Percent with an advanced degree	25	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of security and protective service major, 2023.

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Chart 1. Types of security and protective service, 2023
Security and protective service major	Major share
Criminal Justice And Fire Protection	100%
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a security and protective service degree, by occupational group, 2023.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a security and protective service degree, by occupational group, 2023
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Protective service occupations	21%
Management occupations	13
Office and administrative support occupations	10
Business and financial operations occupations	8
Community and social service occupations	7
Other	41
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a security and protective service degree.

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Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a security and protective service degree
Occupation	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2023	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2023	Percent growth, projected 2024–34	Typical entry-level education
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	9%	8%	3%	High school diploma or equivalent
Managers, all other	4	21	4	Bachelor's degree
Lawyers	3	91	4	Doctoral or professional degree
Security guards	2	3	0	High school diploma or equivalent
Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists	2	21	3	Bachelor's degree
Detectives and criminal investigators	2	20	-1	High school diploma or equivalent
Elementary school teachers, except special education	2	49	-2	Bachelor's degree
Social workers, all other	2	46	4	Bachelor's degree
Paralegals and legal assistants	2	11	0	Associate's degree
Customer service representatives	2	4	-5	High school diploma or equivalent
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (projected growth, entry-level education) and U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (degree holders, advanced degrees).

Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Field of degree: Security and protective service,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/security-and-protective-service/security-and-protective-service-field-of-degree.htm (visited August 28, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025