Low Pay, Insufficient Benefits and High Turnover Across the Security Industry

October 13, 2025

Security officers protect office towers, hospitals, retail stores, and public buildings every single day. They act as first responders in emergencies, maintain workplace safety, and provide stability for their communities. Yet corporations and contractors treat them as disposable.

A new report by the Center for American Progress (CAP) shows what security officers already know: corporate greed drives industry-wide instability.

Corporations have not raised wages for security officers. According to the CAP report, as the cost of living soared over the past 20 years, wages for security officers have remained stagnant. In 2003, a typical security officer was paid $17.05 per hour in 2024 dollars, while the median security worker in 2022 made two cents less at $17.03 per hour.
Lack of Employer-sponsored health care. Almost 40% of officers receive no employer health insurance, the CAP report found. Contractors force one in five officers to rely on public-sponsored benefits such as Medicaid.
Black and Hispanic officers are disproportionately impacted by low wages. The CAP report found that Black and Hispanic officers contracted by security firms earn 10% less per hour than white security officers and are 15% less likely to receive health benefits. This disparity exacerbates racial inequities within the security industry.
High Turnover Means Less Skilled and Experienced Officers. With annual turnover topping 50%, the industry struggles to retain skilled and experienced security officers. This constant churn undermines training, site knowledge, and the public’s safety.

The CAP report concludes that the path forward is clear: raise standards, guarantee fair wages, and strengthen worker voice.

“These problems create an industry with high turnover that forces hundreds of thousands of workers to depend on public services for basic needs such as health insurance,” writes CAP’s Aurelia Glass. “Pro-worker policies such as wage standards and stronger unions can help improve pay and standards across the industry, which helps ensure that an experienced, well-qualified workforce is there to keep the public safe.”

Across union cities like Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago, SEIU members have already shown how higher wage standards and strong contracts translate into safer, more stable jobs. These agreements ensure affordable health coverage, real career paths, and the kind of professional stability the report calls for.