Alexandria, VA – The average compensation for security professionals in the United Statesthis year is up 2 percent from last year to $102,000. The median salary is $90,000, up 4 percent from 2008.  That’s according to the 2009 ASIS International “U.S. Security Salary Survey Results.” ASIS International is the leading organization for security professionals worldwide.
 
More than half (56 percent) of the survey respondents work for privately held companies, a sector reporting an average compensation of $98,000 and a median salary of $85,000.  Those working for publicly held (stockholder-owned) companies report the highest average compensation at $118,000, with a median of $100,000—up 1 percent over the prior year.
Other findings from the 2009 “U.S. Security Salary Survey Results” include:

• Federal government and law enforcement employees report an average salary of $107,000, and the highest median of any sector at $105,000.
• Forty percent of this year’s respondents are top-level security professionals at their organization; this group earns an average salary of $118,000 and a median of $100,000.
• Holding a core industry certification correlates to compensation that is 10 to 12 percent higher than the salaries of peers with no certification. Those holding the Certified Protection Professional (CPP) certification, administered by ASIS, for example, report an average compensation of $114,000 and a median of $104,000.
• Education also correlates with compensation. Twenty-eight percent of respondents hold a master’s degree and report an average compensation of $112,000 and a median of $102,000.

The survey, conducted in May 2009, examines trends in both average and median salaries, because the two measurements can offer different perspectives; the average is a total of all items in the sector divided by the count in the sample, while the median is the precise midpoint of the range of all items reported. All ASIS members employed in the United States were eligible to participate. The survey collected data from the current and preceding years and breaks out responses in 11 industries and 9 geographic regions.  Each section drills down into 18 specific factors that affect compensation.
 
“U.S. Security Salary Survey Results” is available to ASIS members for $135 and to nonmembers for $195. To order this 116-page softcover book (item #1861) from the ASIS Bookstore, click here, or visit www.asisonline.org/bookstore.   
 
Also available from the ASIS Bookstore:  “Art and Science of Security Risk Assessment” by Ira S. Somerson, CPP.  This 168-page softcover book is a valuable resource that will help security practitioners develop the necessary strategies for conducting comprehensive risk assessments.  To order “Art and Science of Security Risk Assessment” (item #1823), click here. This book is available to ASIS members for $42 and $60 for nonmembers.
 
The ASIS Bookstore offers a comprehensive collection of resources for the security practitioner and features must-have content from more than 60 publishers of security-related books, guides, manuals, CDs, DVDs and more. Order online or by calling +1.412.741.1495.
 
 
ASIS International is the preeminent organization for security professionals, with more than 37,000 members worldwide. Founded in 1955, ASIS is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials that address broad security interests, such as the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits, as well as specific security topics. ASIS also advocates the role and value of the security management profession to business, the media, government entities and the public. By providing members and the security community with access to a full range of programs and services, and by publishing the industry’s No. 1 magazine—Security Management—ASIS leads the way for advanced and improved security performance.