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Alarm system installers

Official title Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers (SOC 49-2098)

Also called Alarm installer, Security alarm technician, Fire alarm technician, Security systems technician, Low-voltage technician

In brief

In May 2025, BLS counted 86,340 US alarm system installers, with median pay of $60,070 a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is an estimate of 3,000 from 1901, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for alarm system installers: DIY self-monitored systems, 2015 to 2023.

What the sources say

Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 6.8% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Employment Projections 2025-35

AI exposure studies

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

Last updated .

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APA

Future History. (2026, October 11). Alarm system installers: jobs and pay since 1901 [Data set; data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35]. https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/49-2098

Chicago

Future History. "Alarm system installers: jobs and pay since 1901." Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. Last modified October 11, 2026. https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/49-2098.

BibTeX

@misc{futurehistory_49_2098, author = {{Future History}}, title = {Alarm system installers: jobs and pay since 1901}, year = {2026}, month = oct, howpublished = {\url{https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/49-2098}}, note = {Last updated 2026-10-11. Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35}, }

The access date is today's date on your device.

drag to travel through time
187519001925195019752000now
2026
Known then as Alarm Fitter / Electrical Protective Apparatus Installer (telegraph-era alarm mechanic)
Known then as Alarm Mechanic / Signal Service Installer (central-station era)
Known then as Alarm Serviceman / Fire Alarm Technician (post-war commercial expansion)
Known then as Alarm Installer / Low-Voltage Technician (residential boom era)
Known then as Security Systems Technician / Fire Alarm Technician (licensing era)
Known then as Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers (BLS SOC 49-2098)
Known today as Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers (BLS SOC 49-2098)
Projected to still be called Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers (BLS SOC 49-2098)
Data from the May 2025 survey
US Employment
86K
Est.

Stated in source: BLS OEWS

Official statistic
Report an error
Median Annual Wage
$60,070
Est.

≈ $58,530 in 2024 prices (derived by us, CPI-adjusted)

Official statistic
Report an error
Beat · 1853

Augustus Russell Pope, a Somerville, Massachusetts minister, patents the first electromagnetic door-and-window alarm in 1853. The device is simple: a series circuit with a battery, wire, a magnetic contact on a door frame, and a bell. When the circuit breaks (door opens), the bell rings. Pope lacks the capital to manufacture his device at scale; he will sell the patent rights four years later to Edwin Holmes for $1,500.

Beat · 1858

Edwin Holmes begins manufacturing and installing electromagnetic burglar alarms in Boston after acquiring Pope's patent. By 1866 he has installed 1,200 alarms. He trains a small crew of servicemen to wire the systems and maintain the wet-cell batteries that power them. When he relocates to New York in 1859 seeking a larger market, he takes his installer workforce with him.

Beat · 1874

Edward Calahan co-founds the American District Telegraph on August 14, 1874, using the same district-telegraph infrastructure that supports stock tickers to create a subscription alarm service. ADT divides cities into districts with central monitoring stations. The company employs "Roundsmen" who walk nightly circuits of subscriber premises, making the service both a monitoring business and an early form of mobile security patrol. Installer-technicians maintain the circuit infrastructure between routes.

Beat · 1905

AT&T acquires the Holmes Burglar Alarm business, linking the nation's largest alarm network to the telephone infrastructure. The acquisition gives the alarm installation workforce a large corporate employer and embeds alarm service within the telephone-company organisational structure. AT&T holds the Holmes business until the 1970s antitrust era forces divestiture.

Beat · 1964

ADT is found to operate as a monopoly, controlling approximately 80% of central-station alarm monitoring in the United States, with exclusive service in cities including New York and Memphis. Regulators require the company to adopt standardised national pricing. ADT's market dominance means that for most of the mid-20th century, "alarm installer" is effectively a synonym for "ADT technician" in large US cities.

Beat · 1974

Underwriters Laboratories publishes UL 217, the first national standard for residential smoke alarms. Two years later, in 1976, NFPA 101 (the Life Safety Code) requires smoke alarms in homes. Sales of residential smoke detectors reached 8 million units in 1976 and 12 million in 1977. The vast majority are battery-powered self-install units, which do not require a professional installer. However, commercial and multi-family residential buildings require hard-wired interconnected detector networks installed by licensed low-voltage technicians, and this segment grows substantially through the late 1970s and 1980s as retrofit mandates take effect.

Beat · 1993

NFPA consolidates its patchwork of fire alarm codes (72A, 72B, 72C, and 72D) into a single National Fire Alarm Code, first published as NFPA 72 in 1993. The unified code gives fire alarm installers a single authoritative reference for installation, testing, and inspection requirements and accelerates the adoption of NICET certification as a professional credential recognised by local authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ). NFPA 72 is revised on a 3-year cycle and continues to govern commercial fire alarm installation in the United States.

Beat · 2001

The September 11 attacks generate a surge in commercial security spending across the United States. Building owners, corporations, and government contractors accelerate deployments of access control systems, CCTV networks, and integrated security management platforms. The alarm installation workforce grows steadily through the post-9/11 period as this demand wave works through the commercial real-estate stock. BLS OEWS records approximately 63,000 security and fire alarm system installers in May 2003, the first year the occupation appears as a discrete SOC code.

Beat · 2013

Ring (originally marketed as "Doorbot") begins selling a Wi-Fi video doorbell that consumers install themselves in minutes without professional help. SimpliSafe, which launched in 2006, reaches mainstream consumer awareness. Together these products define a new DIY self-monitored category that bypasses the traditional alarm installer entirely for the residential market. By 2026, DIY self-install will represent 49% of all new residential security system activations, overtaking professional installation for the first time. The professional installer's residential market contracts at the entry level while growing at the complex commercial end.

How to read this number

OEWS is a point-in-time survey snapshot, not a continuous time series; BLS advises against using it for year-over-year trend comparison.

Each dot is a cited figure over time; the dotted line only links them (values between aren't measured). Hollow dots are estimates.

Official statistic: Copied by a script from a statistics agency table or a published study's table, not retyped by hand. BLS figures and the forecast and exposure tables are also re-checked against that table on every data run. Researched context: Researched from the cited source rather than copied from it by a script, so it is not machine-checked yet. Spot a mistake? Each figure has a “Report an error” link.

Cited forecasts · present → 2035

Will AI replace alarm system installers? What the research says

Each figure is stated by the named source; we publish no forecasts of our own. Where sources disagree, we show the disagreement rather than an average.

Each figure is stated by the named source; we publish no forecasts of our own. Where sources disagree, the spread is the honest signal.

What published forecasts say
Forecast change in the number of people doing this work, as published by each named source. Bars share one scale on every role, centred on zero and reaching the end at ±30%. Grey marks a small change, 3% or less either way.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
→ 2035
+6.8%
BLS National Employment Matrix, 2025-35 cycle, line for SOC 49-2098 (Security and fire alarm systems installers): 86.3 thousand jobs in 2025, projected 92.1 thousand in 2035, a change of +5.9 thousand (+6.8%). Matrix employment counts all jobs in the occupation, including self-employed workers (0.9% of this occupation in 2025). The average for all occupations in this cycle is +3.5%.
Official statisticReport an error
How exposed is this work to AI (research measures)
Scores as published by each study. Each row says what it measures. These measure what AI could technically do, not forecasts of jobs lost.
Eloundou et al. (2023), "GPTs are GPTs"
2023 study · Share of tasks exposed to LLMs (β, human-rated)
18.3%
of tasks
What this measures

Published occupation-level exposure from the paper's occ_level.csv for O*NET-SOC 49-2098.00 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers. Shown: human-rated β = 0.183, the share of the occupation's tasks an LLM could do in at least half the time at equal quality, counting tasks that need LLM-powered software at half weight (β = E1 + 0.5 × E2). Other published measures for this occupation: human-rated α (LLM alone) 0.1 and γ (all LLM-assisted) 0.267; GPT-4-rated β 0.167. This measures how much of the work an LLM could touch, not how many jobs disappear.

Official statisticReport an error
Today, in this role

What's changing day to day for alarm system installers

Three parts of your work where AI is already doing real lifting, and what stays yours.

AI is sitting alongside you hereTroubleshoot alarm faults and system malfunctions by interpreting panel event logs, running zone-by-zone diagnostic tests, and using remote portal tools to identify faulty sensors, communication failures, or wiring shorts before dispatching for a service call.

Troubleshoot alarm faults and system malfunctions by interpreting panel event logs, running zone-by-zone diagnostic tests, and using remote portal tools to identify faulty sensors, communication failures, or wiring shorts before dispatching for a service call.[4],[1]

Where your edge is

Use AI-assisted knowledge base tools like Alarm.com's Gopher Info to quickly resolve unfamiliar panel faults on-site; technicians who resolve issues in one visit are significantly more profitable than those who need multiple trips.

AI is sitting alongside you hereProgram and commission smart security panels (Qolsys IQ4, DSC PowerSeries Neo, 2GIG GC3e) via manufacturer installer apps, pairing wireless sensors, setting zone definitions, and uploading configurations to cloud monitoring platforms such as Alarm.com.

Program and commission smart security panels (Qolsys IQ4, DSC PowerSeries Neo, 2GIG GC3e) via manufacturer installer apps, pairing wireless sensors, setting zone definitions, and uploading configurations to cloud monitoring platforms such as Alarm.com.[8],[9]

Where your edge is

Master the Alarm.com Partner Portal and MobileTech app workflows; remote panel programming via these platforms is now a baseline dealer expectation and cuts truck-roll costs for routine changes.

AI is sitting alongside you hereDeploy and configure AI-enabled IP cameras and video management systems (Verkada, Genetec Security Center, Milestone XProtect), including setting up object-classification analytics that distinguish people, vehicles, and animals to reduce false alarms by up to 80%.

Deploy and configure AI-enabled IP cameras and video management systems (Verkada, Genetec Security Center, Milestone XProtect), including setting up object-classification analytics that distinguish people, vehicles, and animals to reduce false alarms by up to 80%.[7],[10],[11]

Where your edge is

Earn a Verkada Certified Engineer (VCE) credential or Genetec Certified Partner designation; AI camera configuration is now a standard line item on commercial RFPs and commands a wage premium.

Where alarm system installers go next

Natural next steps for someone with your foundation: not exits, evolutions.

What each move takes

A direction you could grow

Security Managers

Experienced installers who understand physical security systems end-to-end, manage subcontractors, and advise clients are well-positioned to move into security management. The pivot requires developing program-management and risk-assessment skills alongside the technical base the installer already owns.

What you'd add
  • · Physical security risk assessment frameworks (ASIS PSP certification)
  • · Security program budgeting and vendor management
  • · Incident response planning and tabletop exercise facilitation
  • · Familiarity with access control policy and compliance frameworks (SOC 2, HIPAA physical safeguards)
What it takesA real upskill, but a natural one
Tools of the era

How has the work of alarm system installers changed since 1858?

The tools that defined the work, one line per era. Select an era to see how it reshaped the work.

  • Battery-powered electromagnetic circuits (Pope/Holmes contact alarm, 1853-1857)

    The founding technology of the alarm installer trade was a simple series circuit: battery, wire, magnetic contact on a door or window, and a bell. When the circuit broke (door opened), the bell rang. Edwin Holmes and his competitors wired these systems by hand, routing conductors through wall cavities and under floors much as telegraph operators had done. The installer's core skill was the same as a telegraph lineman: read the building, plan a wire run, solder clean connections, and test continuity with a galvanometer. There were no code requirements, no junction boxes, and no conduit. The battery itself (usually a wet cell) required periodic maintenance visits, making the installer also the service technician.

  • Central-station switchboard and telephone-line monitoring (Holmes dual-use network, 1877)

    In 1877, Holmes's son Edwin Thomas discovered that existing telephone cables could carry alarm signals without new infrastructure. Holmes built a 700-alarm network in Boston using phone wires, then replicated it in New York. This architectural decision defined the occupation for the next decades: the alarm installer now had to understand both in-building wiring and the telephone-company interface. ADT formalised this with its district-station model, employing dedicated "Roundsmen" to check circuits nightly and a corps of installation technicians distinct from the monitoring operators. By the 1940s ADT was the near-monopolist in US central-station monitoring, controlling roughly 80% of the market, and employed thousands of technicians who installed and maintained hardwired systems in banks, warehouses, and government buildings.

    Effect on the work

    ADT's consolidation of many district telegraph companies into a single corporation in 1901 created the first large employer for alarm installation specialists. Early 20th-century accounts describe ADT employing "over 3,000 employees" in its combined service and monitoring workforce.

  • Hardwired zone panels and ionisation-chamber fire detection (commercial expansion era)

    The post-war commercial construction boom created sustained demand for professionally installed alarm systems. ADT pioneered the first automated burglar and fire alarm systems in the 1940s, and the occupation began to split along two tracks: burglar alarm installers (working predominantly in banks, retail, and warehouses) and fire alarm technicians (working in institutional buildings under early NFPA standards that had been evolving since the 1890s). Francis Robbins Upton had patented the first automatic electric fire alarm in 1890, and by mid-century commercial buildings routinely required heat-detector networks. The ionisation smoke detector, commercially available in a practical form from the mid-1960s, added a new device category that required wiring into the building's power and alarm circuits. Technicians of this era worked entirely in hardwired AC-powered or battery-backed systems.

  • Mandatory residential smoke detector era (UL 217 / NFPA 74 / NFPA 101, 1974-1976)

    In 1974 Underwriters Laboratories published standard UL 217 for smoke alarms, and in 1976 NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) first required smoke alarms in homes. The council of American building officials followed with residential code requirements by the late 1970s. Most residential smoke alarms were self-installed battery-operated units that required no professional installation. But the commercial, multi-family residential, and institutional segments required hard-wired interconnected smoke detector networks installed by licensed low-voltage technicians. The NFPA's first unified NFPA 72 code in 1993 (consolidating the older 72A, 72C, and 72D codes into a single National Fire Alarm Code) gave fire alarm installers a single authoritative standard to work from, replacing a patchwork of predecessor documents.

    Effect on the work

    The combination of code mandates and a rapidly growing commercial real-estate stock drove strong employment growth in fire alarm installation through the 1980s. By the early 1990s roughly one million home alarm systems were being installed annually, generating $1.4 billion in combined equipment and service revenue.

  • Wireless sensors and cellular communicators (industry consolidation era)

    Wi-Fi entered the consumer market in 1997 and cellular data modems became affordable for alarm communicators through the late 1990s and 2000s. Wireless door-window contacts and motion sensors eliminated the need to drill and fish wires through finished walls for residential applications, dramatically reducing installation time. Cellular backup communicators severed the alarm system's dependence on a landline that a burglar could cut. For professional installers, wireless sensors changed the skill emphasis: less pulling cable through finished construction, more programming wireless sensor networks and configuring cellular radio modules. The industry consolidated aggressively during this period: Alert Holdings acquired hundreds of companies between 1985 and 1991; by the mid-1990s ADT was a billion-dollar company. NICET (founded 1961) expanded its fire alarm certification program, which was increasingly required by local jurisdictions for permitted fire alarm work.

    Effect on the work

    Wireless systems lowered installation labour content per residential job, suppressing employment growth in the residential segment. Commercial and institutional work remained labour-intensive: hardwired commercial fire alarm systems, access control panels, and CCTV networks could not be easily wireless-ified. The net employment effect was moderate growth rather than acceleration.

  • IP-networked cameras and cloud-managed alarm platforms (Alarm.com, Verkada, Axis era)

    The transition from analogue CCTV coaxial video to IP cameras over Cat5/6 network cabling reshaped the installation trade more fundamentally than any change since the move from DC telephone-loop wiring to AC-powered panels. Alarm.com (founded 2000, commercially dominant by the early 2010s) moved alarm panel programming from a keypad-and-dongle workflow to a cloud dealer portal accessible from any browser. Verkada (founded 2016) eliminated the on-premises NVR server entirely, storing video in cloud infrastructure and enabling remote configuration. For installers, these platforms raised the floor skill requirement: competence in IP addressing, VLAN configuration, PoE switch provisioning, and cloud portal management became table stakes for commercial work. NICET Level II became the effective commercial-grade minimum in most jurisdictions that required third-party certification.

    Effect on the work

    IP system transition increased per-job revenue and per-installer productivity on commercial work, supporting wage growth.

  • DIY self-monitored systems (Ring 2013, SimpliSafe 2006, mainstream by 2015)

    SimpliSafe launched in 2006 and Ring (originally Doorbot) began selling in 2013; both reached mass consumer awareness by 2015. These systems used pre-paired wireless sensors, no professional installation, and month-to-month self-monitoring contracts. By 2026, DIY installation had overtaken professional installation in residential security for the first time, with 49% of new system users self-installing versus 42% hiring a professional. The occupational effect was not simple displacement: the residential low-end market (where margins were thinnest) shifted toward self-install, while commercial, multi-family, and enterprise security work continued to require licensed professional installers. The net result was a structural shift in the occupation away from simple residential installs toward more complex commercial integration work, supporting wage growth even as residential volume flattened.

    Effect on the work

    DIY systems eroded the entry-level residential installation segment, but BLS employment for 49-2098 continued growing through this period because commercial and institutional demand outweighed residential losses. The occupational mix shifted toward higher-skill commercial technicians who could configure AI-enabled camera analytics, access control integrations, and unified security platforms.

  • AI video analytics and agentic alarm platforms (Ambient.ai Pulsar, Gopher Info, Alarm.com AI)

    Ambient.ai unveiled its Pulsar vision-language model for physical security in November 2025, capable of detecting threat signatures from existing camera infrastructure and clearing the majority of false PACS alarms automatically. Alarm.com released Gopher Info in July 2023, an AI dealer tool that answers technician installation and troubleshooting questions by synthesising the company's proprietary knowledge base using a large language model. For installers, these platforms raise the configuration requirement: tuning AI camera analytics (object classification zones, sensitivity thresholds, threat signature profiles) has become a billable commissioning step on commercial jobs. The installer no longer just runs cable and programs zones; they configure the AI inference layer that will govern how the building's security system interprets events for years to come.

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Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers employment and pay by year

On record since1858
Latest US employment86,340 (May 2025)Source: BLS OEWS May 2025Official statisticReport an error
Latest US median pay$60,070 (May 2025)Source: BLS OEWS May 2025Official statisticReport an error
Outlook+6.8% by 2035Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35Official statisticReport an error
View all 27 years of cited US data, each linked to its source
YearUS employmentAnnual pay (median unless marked)SourceReport
19013,000n/aEst., ADT Inc. (Wikipedia) Researched contextReport
194012,000n/aEst., SIC 7382 Security Systems Services Researched contextReport
197530,000n/aEst., SIC 7382 Security Systems Services Researched contextReport
199355,000$22,000Est., SIC 7382 Security Systems Services (employment) Researched contextEst., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay) Researched contextReport
200346,850$33,280BLS OEWS May 2003 Official statisticReport
200444,710$33,410BLS OEWS May 2004 Official statisticReport
200549,470$33,720BLS OEWS May 2005 Official statisticReport
200651,740$34,810BLS OEWS May 2006 Official statisticReport
200760,700$35,390BLS OEWS May 2007 Official statisticReport
200862,720$36,660BLS OEWS May 2008 Official statisticReport
200963,690$37,710BLS OEWS May 2009 Official statisticReport
201057,390$38,500BLS OEWS May 2010 Official statisticReport
201156,330$39,540BLS OEWS May 2011 Official statisticReport
201253,960$41,030BLS OEWS May 2012 Official statisticReport
201355,300$42,000BLS OEWS May 2013 Official statisticReport
201460,160$42,560BLS OEWS May 2014 Official statisticReport
201564,730$43,420BLS OEWS May 2015 Official statisticReport
201667,700$44,330BLS OEWS May 2016 Official statisticReport
201769,830$45,670BLS OEWS May 2017 Official statisticReport
201870,900$47,190BLS OEWS May 2018 Official statisticReport
201971,600$48,970BLS OEWS May 2019 Official statisticReport
202068,920$50,940BLS OEWS May 2020 Official statisticReport
202177,420$48,320BLS OEWS May 2021 Official statisticReport
202280,720$50,130BLS OEWS May 2022 Official statisticReport
202383,540$56,430BLS OEWS May 2023 Official statisticReport
202481,510$59,300BLS OEWS May 2024 Official statisticReport
202586,340$60,070BLS OEWS May 2025 Official statisticReport
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