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Men accounted for about 75 percent of workers in protective service occupations in 2020
October 15, 2021
Men accounted for about half of all employed people in 2020, but about three-fourths of workers in protective service occupations were men. Among protective service occupations, nearly all firefighters (95.6 percent) were men. Men also accounted for large shares of employment in first-line supervisors of police and detectives (87.3 percent), police officers (82.9 percent), security guards and gambling surveillance officers (75.0 percent), detectives and criminal investigators (73.6 percent), and first-line supervisors of correctional officers (72.3 percent). Women accounted for 45.4 percent of private detectives and investigators, the largest share among protective service occupations.
Percent distribution of employment in protective service occupations, by sex, 2020
Occupation
Men
Women
Firefighters
95.6%
4.4%
First-line supervisors of police and detectives
87.3
12.7
Police officers
82.9
17.1
Protective service occupations
76.4
23.6
Security guards and gambling surveillance officers
75.0
25.0
Detectives and criminal investigators
73.6
26.4
First-line supervisors of correctional officers
72.3
27.7
Correctional officers and jailers
68.3
31.7
First-line supervisors of security workers
67.9
32.1
Private detectives and investigators
54.6
45.4
All occupations
53.2
46.8
Among the major race and ethnicity groups, White workers accounted for 78.0 percent of total employment in 2020, slightly higher than their overall share of protective service occupations (74.5 percent). However, this varied widely within the protective service field. The largest share was among first-line supervisors of police and detectives, at 89.2 percent in 2020. By contrast, Whites made up 61.0 percent of security guards and gambling surveillance officers and 60.9 percent of correctional officers and jailers.
Percent distribution of employment in protective service occupations, by race and ethnicity, 2020
Occupation
White
Black or African American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
First-line supervisors of police and detectives
89.2%
7.5%
2.3%
14.0%
Firefighters
85.0
8.4
1.2
13.1
Police officers
85.0
10.9
1.9
14.7
Detectives and criminal investigators
82.8
13.9
0.7
17.0
All occupations
78.0
12.1
6.4
17.6
Protective service occupations
74.5
19.4
2.5
15.9
Private detectives and investigators
71.6
21.9
3.8
16.2
First-line supervisors of security workers
70.5
20.9
3.9
11.6
First-line supervisors of correctional officers
63.6
30.6
2.0
11.1
Security guards and gambling surveillance officers
61.0
31.1
3.9
19.6
Correctional officers and jailers
60.9
32.9
2.7
12.8
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to 100 percent because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
In 2020, 12.1 percent of all workers were Black, but they accounted for 19.4 percent of people employed in protective service jobs. Among protective service occupations, Blacks were overrepresented among correctional officers and jailers (32.9 percent), security guards and gambling surveillance officers (31.1 percent), and first-line supervisors of correctional officers (30.6 percent). Blacks were underrepresented among firefighters (8.4 percent) and first-line supervisors of police and detectives (7.5 percent).
Asians accounted for 6.4 percent of all workers in 2020 but were underrepresented among protective service occupations, making up 2.5 percent of workers in this job category.
Among protective service occupations, the share of workers that were Hispanic in 2020 ranged from 11.1 percent for first-line supervisors of correctional officers to 19.6 percent of security guards and gambling surveillance officers. Hispanics accounted for 17.6 percent of total employment in 2020, slightly higher than their overall share of protective service jobs (15.9 percent).
These data are from the Current Population Survey. People whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. See table 11 for more information.
United States Department of Labor
