Security officers perform essential services to keep people safe at office buildings, hospitals, government buildings, and corporate campuses. They also act as first responders in emergencies. Too often, however, security officers are paid low wages and do not receive employer-sponsored health benefits.
New Center for American Progress analysis of the American Community Survey (ACS) and Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) shows that:
Security officers’ wages have flatlined over the past 15 years at around $17 per hour, only two-thirds of the median private sector wage, even as the cost of living has soared.
Approximately 40 percent of security officers do not receive employer-provided health insurance, forcing 18 percent of all officers to rely on Medicaid to support themselves and their families.
Poor compensation disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic officers, who account for a majority of workers in the occupation but earn around 10 percent less per hour than white security officers.
The above excerpt was originally published in Center for American Progress.
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