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Job outlook for protective officers in the United States
Protective officer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected protective officer job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 38,000 new jobs for protective officers are projected over the next decade.
Protective officer salaries have increased 20% for protective officers in the last 5 years.
There are over 464,872 protective officers currently employed in the United States.
There are 103,885 active protective officer job openings in the US.
The average protective officer salary is $40,529.
Are protective officer jobs in demand?
Protective Officer job and salary trends over time
Protective Officer jobs over time
Protective Officer job growth rate over time
| Year | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 464,872 | 0.14% |
| 2020 | 463,685 | 0.14% |
| 2019 | 495,335 | 0.15% |
| 2018 | 490,062 | 0.15% |
| 2017 | 486,131 | 0.15% |
Average protective officer salary over time
Protective Officer salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $40,529 | $19.49 | +4.6% |
| 2024 | $38,741 | $18.63 | +4.2% |
| 2023 | $37,188 | $17.88 | +5.9% |
| 2022 | $35,112 | $16.88 | +4.4% |
| 2021 | $33,637 | $16.17 | +4.6% |
Protective Officer jobs by state
Most common states for protective officers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 185 | 27% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,703 | 25% |
| 3 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,235 | 22% |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 238 | 22% |
| 5 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 356 | 21% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,141 | 19% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 142 | 19% |
| 8 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,009 | 18% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 244 | 18% |
| 10 | Delaware | 961,939 | 174 | 18% |
| 11 | Vermont | 623,657 | 105 | 17% |
| 12 | California | 39,536,653 | 6,129 | 16% |
| 13 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,413 | 16% |
| 14 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 314 | 16% |
| 15 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 135 | 16% |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,894 | 15% |
| 17 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,032 | 15% |
| 18 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 309 | 15% |
| 19 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 197 | 15% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 113 | 15% |
Most common cities for protective officers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piscataway | 8 | 14% | $42,643 |
| 2 | Cheshire | 4 | 14% | $42,139 |
| 3 | Silver Spring | 7 | 10% | $42,005 |
| 4 | Hopkinsville | 2 | 6% | $31,841 |
| 5 | Owasso | 2 | 6% | $39,187 |
| 6 | Germantown | 4 | 5% | $41,931 |
| 7 | Apple Valley | 3 | 4% | $48,747 |
| 8 | Goodyear | 3 | 4% | $42,246 |
| 9 | Bowling Green | 2 | 3% | $31,814 |
| 10 | Sacramento | 3 | 1% | $51,430 |
| 11 | Saint Louis | 3 | 1% | $38,484 |
| 12 | Clarksville | 2 | 1% | $32,057 |
| 13 | Austin | 3 | 0% | $33,302 |
| 14 | Columbus | 2 | 0% | $35,764 |
| 15 | Tulsa | 2 | 0% | $39,182 |
Protective Officer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of protective officer experts
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Curry College
La Sierra University
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
What will help Protective Officers increase their earning potential?
James Gibbens: Mr. Johnson, Good Morning, Our Law Enforcement/Corrections instructors are, for the most part, active law enforcement officers working in the field or recently retired from the industry. We have no full-time instructors/professors teaching in the Law Enforcement Academies. Most of our students are sponsored and employed when the Academy starts so there is little to no recruitment, everyone is paid to attend class. Brevard County has a number of Law Enforcement agencies. My suggestion is to contact one of the agencies and speak with their Human Resource Department. Locally, in today's employment climate there are many employment opportunities in the Public Safety Sectors.
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
What skills stand out on Protective Officer resumes?
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.: Police officers need many skills to be successful on the job. The most important are written and oral communication skills and the ability to make ethical decisions with limited information quickly. Written communications skills are crucial. If a police report is poorly worded or incomplete, it can derail a criminal case. Police officers also need to talk to people of all ages from all walks of life in any circumstance. Often, police meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives when emotions are running high. Police need to be able to help calm a person while gathering information. Police need to be able to use their words and body language to empathize with someone who has been victimized, and they need to project authority, so people making poor decisions obey their commands.
This may be common sense, but research has demonstrated that communication and ethical decision-making skills are important for police officers. (See the research article published in 2017 in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, entitled "An assessment of the relative importance of criminal justice learning objectives," by Baker and colleagues.) Baker and colleagues asked students, professionals, and college professors to rate the skills of hypothetical job applicants. These participants rated the following as the most important characteristics for criminal justice applicants (including law enforcement officers):
Ethics
Oral communication
Critical thinking
Sensitivity to diversity
Written communication skills
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Protective Officers?
Jennifer Balboni: Yes! Without question, over the last year, the pandemic has impacted nearly every occupation around the globe. These effects were felt most keenly in the medical field, but the impact in the criminal justice field has been incredibly steep as well, and the changes for police, courts, and corrections promise to be around even once this pandemic is more under control. First, it's important to note that police professionals are currently managing twin crises: the pandemic and public tumult stemming from a series of well-publicized needless deaths of young African Americans at the hands of police. It's nearly impossible to disentangle the impact of the pandemic from the impact of the crisis of legitimacy in policing, as these are happening simultaneously. This means that, in addition to the stressors of the job related to the pandemic, policing right now is fundamentally more stressful. As the public demands reform, organizations are shifting their priorities in response. New graduates who wish to pursue law enforcement would be wise to identify agencies that share their value system and commitment to justice so that they are part of this field's positive evolution.
In the fields of corrections and the courts, the implications of the pandemic are equally important-- although much less discussed in the media. Courts are currently facing significant backlogs (few juries have been convened during the last year-leaving a logjam of many open criminal cases). Correctional institutions have used the pandemic as the impetus to de-carcerate, which shifts responsibilities from institutional to community corrections, as those released are often in need of support services in order to be successful. Analysts predict that the reduction in the incarcerated population could bring some savings to local and state budgets, and this may provide some pressure to make the efforts to de-carcerate more permanent. Both of these fields are adapting and it is likely that the pandemic's impact will be long-lasting.
While new graduates certainly will be facing unprecedented challenges in their new professional roles, it's important to consider that this stress can also bring significant opportunity. If necessity is the mother of invention, then creative and energetic graduates may have more opportunity to implement innovative responses they've learned about in college in these fields in the near future.
What will help Protective Officers increase their earning potential?
Jennifer Balboni: It's certainly been said before, but soft skills-the ability to communicate effectively with different individuals and groups, as well as the ability to advocate for others--are key competencies in the justice field. Being able to communicate with others, as well as understand and empathize with others--is a vital skill in this field.
More technically, graduates who are able to navigate the virtual/digital world will be prepared to help agencies transition to build more permanent digital programming into the fields of corrections, courts, and law enforcement moving forward. The digital programming that has cropped up as a result of this pandemic is likely not going away entirely once the pandemic is more under control-people like the flexibility it provides. The same is true in the justice realm: virtual connections have been integrated in various processes, facilitating important connections between support services and folks involved in the justice system.
T.Christopher Bell
ProfessorLa Sierra University
Criminal Justice Program
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Protective Officers?
T.Christopher Bell: The enduring impact is that we now know we can work remotely. We can file reports online; we can conduct investigations, Background Investigations remotely, and expand our reach nationwide. Also, our hygiene has dramatically improved.
What type of skills will young Protective Officers need?
T.Christopher Bell: The skills graduates will need are much improved in VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS skills-the ability to de-escalate and resolve conflict through verbal communication. Students who are majoring in Criminal Justice must be able to understand multiculturalism. The ability to understand different and not perceive it as harmful.
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Department of Criminal Justice
What general advice would you give to a Protective Officer?
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.: They need to avoid being overzealous officers. They should not put their career at the center of their life. They need to spend quality time with their family. In law enforcement, good relations with the public and colleagues are essential. They need to develop good relationships with the people and their colleagues and expand their professional network. They always try to be a "problem solver officer" rather than a "problem creator officer." If someone asks for help from them, they should treat this person with dignity and respect. They should avoid being arrogant in their interaction with the public. Because arrogance is the worst plague, and Humility is the greatest virtue.