Protective Service Occupations

SOC major group 33-0000: 24 detailed occupations, 24 with a published national median (May 2025). The group employs 3,776,610 people nationally.

The group as a whole

Protective Service Occupations: national wage percentiles, May 2025
Area	Basis	Percentile wage					Mean	Employment
Area	Basis	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th	Mean	Employment
United States	Hourly	$15.79	$17.96	$24.08	$36.54	$49.26	$29.19	3,776,610
United States	Annual	$32,850	$37,350	$50,080	$75,990	$102,470	$60,720	3,776,610

Every occupation in the group, by median annual wage

Occupation	SOC	Median hourly	Median annual	Mean annual	Employment
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	33-1012	$50.98	$106,040	$112,190	154,610
Detectives and Criminal Investigators	33-3021	$45.09	$93,790	$99,430	114,430
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers	33-1021	$44.96	$93,530	$96,930	99,140
Transit and Railroad Police	33-3052	$43.38	$90,230	$91,810	4,390
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	33-1011	$37.49	$77,970	$84,380	53,380
First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other	33-1099	$36.73	$76,400	$74,390	20,690
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	33-3051	$36.64	$76,210	$79,200	670,520
Fire Inspectors and Investigators	33-2021	$36.50	$75,920	$78,670	13,800
Fish and Game Wardens	33-3031	$35.60	$74,060	$74,950	5,770
Transportation Security Screeners	33-9093	$32.10	$66,770	$64,310	50,290
Firefighters	33-2011	$28.50	$59,280	$63,630	345,990
Correctional Officers and Jailers	33-3012	$28.34	$58,940	$63,630	380,500
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists	33-2022	$27.34	$56,870	$66,640	2,780
Bailiffs	33-3011	$27.21	$56,600	$61,660	17,310
First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers	33-1091	$26.90	$55,940	$59,900	81,480
Private Detectives and Investigators	33-9021	$24.62	$51,220	$60,150	35,580
Parking Enforcement Workers	33-3041	$22.47	$46,730	$51,190	9,050
Animal Control Workers	33-9011	$21.95	$45,660	$48,440	12,070
Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators	33-9031	$20.85	$43,370	$45,630	9,520
Protective Service Workers, All Other	33-9099	$20.45	$42,540	$48,070	81,500
Crossing Guards and Flaggers	33-9091	$18.32	$38,100	$43,350	94,360
Security Guards	33-9032	$18.28	$38,020	$42,470	1,283,470
School Bus Monitors	33-9094	$16.88	$35,100	$35,150	78,420
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers	33-9092	$16.14	$33,580	$34,470	157,550

Source and notes

Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: National OEWS estimates.

Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.