✓ Checked 17 Oct 2026 against the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) series and NICET's Fire Alarm Systems candidate handbook.
✓ The national median wage for Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers was $28.88 an hour, or $60,070 annually, in the May 2025 OEWS estimates. This is occupation-wide pay. The BLS profile does not separate NICET certification levels, so it cannot establish a Level II salary or a raise for moving to Level III. BLS occupation profile.
Which workers and release does this cover?
The occupation is SOC 49-2098, Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers. It includes installing, programming, maintaining and repairing both security and fire alarm wiring and equipment. It excludes electricians doing a broad range of wiring. The category therefore extends beyond fire alarm specialists and is not a survey of NICET holders alone.
All wage figures below use May 2025 estimates, released 15 May 2026, retrieved 17 Oct 2026. The reference month describes the data; the release year describes when BLS published them. These are not estimates of October pay. See the BLS release and OEWS tables.
National pay: median, average and range
The BLS occupation profile reports:
- ✓ Median: $28.88 hourly; $60,070 annually.
- ✓ Mean, or average: $29.31 hourly; $60,960 annually.
- ✓ 25th percentile: $22.99 hourly; $47,820 annually.
- ✓ 75th percentile: $35.43 hourly; $73,690 annually.
The median is the midpoint of the wage distribution. The percentile figures describe wage boundaries, not experience bands. Do not relabel the lower percentile as Level I pay or the upper percentile as Level IV pay. BLS's OEWS definitions explain the distinction between averages and percentiles.
States with the highest annual average pay
These are the highest state annual mean wages displayed in the same May 2025 profile for this occupation:
- ✓ Massachusetts: $78,560.
- ✓ Oregon: $74,760.
- ✓ Washington: $73,800.
- ✓ California: $71,000.
- ✓ Connecticut: $69,120.
Source: BLS OEWS profile, annual mean wage by state, retrieved 17 Oct 2026. This is a highest-average shortlist, not a complete state directory. Use the state estimates to look up another location.
Compare those averages with the national mean, rather than the national median. A state average is not an offer for a particular city, contractor or role. Before using it to consider a move, compare local vacancies and living costs. Ask whether the advertised amount is base pay or includes extra hours and allowances.
What changes with NICET level?
NICET describes increasing responsibility in its Fire Alarm Systems candidate handbook:
- Level I: a technician trainee working under supervision.
- Level II: routine work with limited supervision, including basic installation, maintenance, troubleshooting or technical documentation.
- Level III: independent technical work, layout, supervision and interaction with authorities having jurisdiction.
- Level IV: senior responsibility for complex systems, multiple projects, programmes and training.
These descriptions help you compare duties with a vacancy. They do not supply a wage scale. There is no NICET-level pay breakdown in the cited OEWS release. To evaluate a certification-linked raise, ask an employer which duties and pay band would change when you earn the credential. Keep that employer's answer separate from the BLS benchmark.
Compare an offer on the same basis
OEWS measures straight-time gross wages. Its definitions exclude overtime pay, on-call pay and shift differentials. Annual estimates assume a full-time, year-round schedule of 2,080 hours. They are not a promise of that many paid hours or a measure of take-home income. BLS OEWS FAQs.
Write down the base rate, expected hours, callout arrangements, benefits and travel expectations for each offer. Also clarify who pays for exams, references and study time. That gives you a more useful comparison than a headline annual amount alone.
For certification planning, return to the Alarm Ladder overview, then read the Level I guide or Level II guide. Use the Level II diagnostic to identify study priorities when that is the exam you are preparing for.
Sources
- OEWS occupation profile: Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers, SOC 49-2098, May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wages: May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, released 15 May 2026. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- OEWS Tables, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- OEWS Frequently Asked Questions, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- Fire Alarm Systems Candidate Handbook, NICET, August 2026 edition. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.