2001 Salary Survey

May 1, 2001 12:00 PM

It's a jungle out there, and anyone looking to enter the job market had better be armed.

Layoffs have been in the news recently as companies scramble to adjust to a changing business landscape. The economic underpinnings shifting beneath our feet can serve as a reminder to do our homework in the area of career planning.

When times are good and companies are prospering, it's easy to be lulled into complacency. When layoffs make the news, it's only the tip of an iceberg of changing employment trends. In uncertain times, it's more important than ever to be informed about employment options, especially about what pay and benefits are available in the industry at large.

That's the focus of our Fifth Annual Salary Survey — to provide a snapshot of the level of compensation security professionals should expect from their employers. It makes good business sense to track such information, provided in this case by your fellow readers who took the time to complete a survey and return it to our research department. You never know when the need for such information might crop up unexpectedly.

Estimated median and average incomes by primary business

	Median	Average
Transportation/Utility	$71,665	$79,144
Industrial/Manufacturing	$59,999	$65,405
Government	$56,499	$56,768
Hospitals/Healthcare	$54,998	$52,619
Banking/Diversified Financial/RE	$49,999	$56,111
Educational Institution/Museum	$44,999	$51,032
Retail/Service/Hospitality	$43,213	$55,188
TOTAL RESPONDENTS	$56,287	$60,468

Median incomes for respondents to our 2001 survey ranged from $54,999 to $62,499, depending on title. At the top of the spectrum, directors of security/safety/loss prevention were paid $62,499 (median), while at the next level down, managers of security/safety/loss prevention were paid a median of $54,999. Facility managers who answered our questionnaire earned a median of $56,784. The graph on page S2 shows the average and median income levels for all survey respondents. (The median number represents the mid-point of all reported figures, thus eliminating the effects of very high or low incomes. The average income levels can be higher than the median if, for example, there is a small number of highly paid individuals at the top end of the survey. Generally, the median number is considered a more accurate indicator.)

The chart on page S2 shows the annual income levels for survey respondents, divided into ranges, and reporting the percentage of respondents who place themselves in each range. (Median and average numbers are calculated using the midpoints of the reported ranges.)

The chart on page S3 shows trends for salary increases (or decreases) for respondents in each job title classification. Overall, 76 percent of respondents received pay increases, while 18 percent report their pay was unchanged; 1 percent report a salary decrease and 5 percent did not answer. Directors of security/safety/loss prevention were the most likely group to report a decrease or no change in salary — 22.7 percent reported no change in salary and another 3 percent experienced a decrease in pay.

The average salary increases received by the sampling as a whole was 6.0 percent — slightly higher (6.3 percent) at the director level and for facility managers, slightly lower (5.9 percent) for managers of security/safety/loss prevention. By industry, hospital/healthcare institutions give the best raises (8.8 percent), according to our survey, followed by retail/service/hospitality (8.7 percent). On the low side are transportation/utility (4.2 percent) and government (4.8 percent).

Less than half of the respondents — 45.3 percent — indicated that their income included a commission and/or bonus. Among those who do receive a commission and/or bonus, the amount averaged 6.7 percent of income. Security professionals who work for banking/diversified financial companies are more likely to receive a commission or bonus (76.3 percent say they do), while security employees of educational institutions/museums are least likely (only 15.2 percent say they do). The highest number of respondents indicated that their commission or bonus is based on company performance.

Salary levels can vary broadly based on the primary business of each respondent's employer. Security professionals at transportation/utility companies tend to be the highest paid, with a median annual salary of $71,665. Industrial manufacturing companies pay their security professionals at the next highest median at $59,999. Tending to pay at lower levels are retail/service/hospitality businesses, at $43,213 (median); and educational institutions/museums, at $44,999 (median). In the mid-range are banking/financial at $49,999, hospitals/healthcare at $54,998, and government at $57,499 (all medians). The chart on page S3 shows average and median salary levels for various business categories.

Geographically, the most lucrative places to be a security professional tend to be the Pacific states, where the median annual salary is $67,499, or the middle-Atlantic states, where the median annual salary is $62,141. Feeling maybe less appreciated are security professionals in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi or Tennessee, where the median annual salary is $46,248. The map on page S4 shows the average annual salary levels in each part of the country, and also the percentage increases respondents have received. Security personnel in New England received 7.8 percent, while those security professionals in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee had to make do with 4.4 percent.

Fringe benefits

The most popular fringe benefits are holidays and vacation. One in four respondents or fewer receive profit sharing or auto allowance. The chart on page S6 lists common fringe benefits and the percentage of respondents who say they get each benefit. A majority of transportation/utility firm workers report receiving 17 out of 19 fringe benefits, the highest of any industry. Government workers report receiving only 10 of the 19 fringe benefits. In total, respondents report receiving an average of 30 days off each year, including 18 days of vacation, eight days of sick leave, nine holidays and three days of personal time.

The past three years of our survey have shown a gradual increase in the number of respondents who say they receive various fringe benefits. The most popular fringe benefits — holidays, life insurance, dental insurance, 401(K) plans, long term disability, tuition reimbursement and vision insurance — have each increased gradually among employers of survey respondents each year since 1999.

Who are respondents?

Participants in our survey are 371 security professionals who completed mail questionnaires; they represent an 18.9 percent response rate from a total mailing of 2,000 surveys to names included on the subscription roll of Access Control & Security Systems Integration. On average, respondents have been in their current positions for 6.6 years and in the security industry for 14.1 years. The average age of respondents is 46-1/2 years old. More than half of respondents (52 percent) have at least a bachelor's degree. One in ten respondents is female.

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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