Career Explorer Protective services
Human edge, steady
Security guards
Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 63% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +0.9% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $38,020
- Job growth to 2035
- +0.9%
- Openings a year
- 156,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 1.3 million
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Maintain safety or security
- Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- Investigate criminal or legal matters
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties
- Notify others of emergencies or problems
- Operate audiovisual or related equipment
What the work looks like
- Lock doors and gates of entrances and exits to secure buildings.
- Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates.
- Respond to medical emergencies by administering basic first aid or by obtaining assistance from paramedics.
- Answer alarms and investigate disturbances.
- Circulate among visitors, patrons, or employees to preserve order and protect property.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as improvements in remote sensing, including drones and autonomous robots, allow security guards to patrol larger areas.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workersHuman edge, growing, Index 96, +5.5%
- Health technologists and technicians, all otherHuman edge, growing, Index 64, +5.9%
- Protective service workers, all otherHuman edge, steady, Index 67, +3.0%
- Farm labor contractorsHuman edge, growing, Index 82, +7.4%
Also known as: Safety and Security Officer, Security Agent, Security Guard, Security Officer, Armed Security Officer, Campus Security Officer (CSO), Custom Protection Officer (CPO), Customer Service Security Officer.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.