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Secret Service Agent Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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Secret Service Agent information

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How much do secret service agent jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 30, 2026, the average hourly pay for secret service agent in California is $19.17, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.15 and $20.14 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the most common challenges Secret Service Agents face while protecting high-profile individuals?

Secret Service Agents often encounter high-pressure situations that require quick decision-making and adaptability, especially when managing the unpredictable movements and interactions of protectees. They must stay vigilant and prepared for potential security threats while maintaining professionalism and discretion. Agents also frequently work irregular hours, travel extensively, and coordinate closely with law enforcement and event staff, making flexibility and teamwork essential to successfully carrying out their protective duties.

How do you get a job as a Secret Service agent?

To become a Secret Service agent, candidates typically need a bachelor's degree, relevant work experience, and must pass a rigorous background check, physical fitness test, and polygraph examination. Applicants often have law enforcement, military, or security experience and must complete specialized training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).

What is the difference between Secret Service Agent vs Federal Police Officer?

AspectSecret Service AgentFederal Police Officer
Required CredentialsBackground check, security clearance, sometimes specialized trainingPolice academy certification, background check, law enforcement training
Work EnvironmentProtecting national leaders, investigating financial crimes, often in government settingsPatrol, crime investigation, law enforcement duties across various jurisdictions
Employer & IndustryU.S. Department of Homeland Security, TreasuryFederal, state, or local law enforcement agencies

Secret Service Agents primarily focus on protecting national leaders and investigating financial crimes, requiring security clearances and specialized training. Federal Police Officers handle general law enforcement duties, including patrols and investigations, often working in local or federal agencies. While both roles involve law enforcement credentials, their work environments and responsibilities differ significantly.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Secret Service Agent, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Secret Service Agent, you need a background in criminal justice or law enforcement, physical fitness, and successful completion of rigorous federal training programs. Familiarity with protective intelligence systems, firearms, surveillance technology, and federal law enforcement certifications (such as FLETC graduation) is crucial. Strong judgment, discretion, resilience under pressure, and excellent communication skills set top agents apart. These skills and qualities are essential for ensuring the safety of protected individuals and effectively responding to critical security threats.

How much money does a Secret Service agent make?

A Secret Service agent's salary typically ranges from $45,000 to over $150,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and rank. Entry-level agents usually start around the lower end, with increases possible through promotions and specialized training, and the role often includes benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans.

What jobs pay 4000 a week without a degree?

Secret Service Agents typically do not earn $4,000 weekly without specialized training and experience; most law enforcement roles require relevant qualifications. However, high-paying jobs that can reach this level without a degree include certain sales positions, real estate brokers, commercial pilots, and skilled trades like electricians or plumbers with experience, often supplemented by certifications. These roles often demand specific skills, licenses, or extensive on-the-job training.

What are Secret Service Agents?

Secret Service Agents are federal law enforcement officers who work for the United States Secret Service. Their primary duties include protecting the President, Vice President, and other designated individuals, as well as investigating crimes related to counterfeiting, financial fraud, and threats against national leaders. Agents undergo rigorous training and often travel frequently as part of their protective assignments. They play a crucial role in national security and must maintain the highest levels of integrity, discretion, and physical fitness.

How hard is it to become a Secret Service agent?

Becoming a Secret Service agent requires meeting strict eligibility criteria, including U.S. citizenship, a bachelor's degree, relevant work experience, and passing a series of background checks, physical fitness tests, and interviews. Candidates often need to demonstrate strong communication skills, integrity, and the ability to handle high-pressure situations, with many applicants having law enforcement or military backgrounds.
What are popular job titles related to Secret Service Agent jobs in California? For Secret Service Agent jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Secret Service Agent jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Secret Service Agent jobs in California are:
Infographic showing various Secret Service Agent job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 2% Locum Tenens, 88% Full Time, 7% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $39,871 per year, or $19.2 per hour.

Special Agent - Special Agent Talent & Achievement Recruitment (STAR)

U.S. Secret Service

Los Angeles, CA • On-site, Remote

$48K - $118K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 29 days ago


Job description

Summary
Joining the Secret Service as a Special Agent will allow you to perform critical protective and investigative assignments. The Special Agent position starts at a base salary of $48,854.00 (GL-07, step 1), with promotion potential to $118,204.00 (GS-13, step 10).
This position is covered by Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) which is an additional compensation of 25% of the basic rate of pay.
For more information on the Secret Service click here.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
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Joining the United States Secret Service as a Special Agent offers a unique and rewarding career dedicated to serving the nation through our dual mission of criminal investigations and protection. Special Agents play a critical role in safeguarding the financial integrity of the United States and protecting its highest leaders, including the President, Vice President, and other designated individuals. Throughout their careers, Special Agents have the opportunity to work on diverse assignments across the country and around the globe, gaining unparalleled experience in both investigative and protective operations.
Responsibilities include:
  • Conducting complex criminal investigations into financial crimes, including counterfeiting, cyber fraud, and other threats to the financial infrastructure of the United States.
  • Providing physical protection for the President, Vice President, their families, visiting foreign dignitaries, and other protectees, ensuring their safety in every environment.
  • Designing, planning, and implementing advanced security measures for National Special Security Events (NSSEs), such as presidential inaugurations, international summits, and other high-profile events.

As a Special Agent, you will be part of an elite team committed to excellence, integrity, and service, with opportunities to serve at multiple duty stations both domestically and internationally. This dynamic and impactful career challenges you to rise to your fullest potential while making a difference for the nation.
For more information about the Special Agent position, click here.
BE A PART OF THE STAR PROGRAM
The United States Secret Service is actively recruiting recent college graduates to participate in the Special Agent Talent & Achievement Recruitment, or STAR, program.
For more information about STAR, click here.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
  • U.S. citizenship is required. U.S. citizens are legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship and are entitled to all rights and protections under U.S. law.
  • Possess a current valid driver's license. Must be REAL ID compliant.
  • Use your official name on your application as it appears on your valid government identification (i.e., REAL ID Driver's License, State ID, Passport).
  • Must be at least 21 years old at the time of application. Applicants may be referred up to their 40th birthday. Referral is defined as the point at which minimum qualification determinations are completed. Exceptions may apply for those with current or prior service in federal law enforcement positions covered by special retirement provisions. The Secret Service has determined that age is essential to the performance of this position.
  • Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position. Disclose any prior drug use, attempted use, and/or experimentation.
  • Obtain a Top-Secret Clearance and retain it during your career.
  • This position requires an automatic credit check after initial qualifications are met.
  • Carry and use a firearm. Maintaining firearm proficiency is mandatory. You will be ineligible to occupy this position if at any time you have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, unless you received a pardon, or your conviction was expunged or set aside.
  • Candidates are required to complete an intensive 13-week training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, GA, followed by specialized 18-week training at the James J. Rowley Training Center in Laurel, MD. Failure to pass the training program may result in separation from the Secret Service.
  • Sign a mobility agreement stating your willingness to accept assignments anywhere within the United States and overseas.
  • Certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so, if you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959.
  • Must have uncorrected vision of at least 20/100, correctable to 20/20 in each eye. LASIK, ALK, RK, and PRK surgeries are acceptable if required post-surgery visual tests are passed: Lasik (3 months), PRK (6 months), ALK/RK (1 year) waiting periods apply.
  • Hearing loss, as measured by an audiometer, must not exceed 25 decibels (A.S.A. or equivalent I.S.O.) in either ear in the 500,1000 and 2000Hz ranges.

Qualifications
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
You are minimally qualified for the GL-07 Level (starting base salary $48,854) if you possess one of the following:
  • A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) which is based on class standing, grade-point average, or honor society membership. For more information on S.A.A. please click here; OR
  • Have at least one full year of graduate level education (i.e. 18 semester hours); OR
  • Have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GL-5 level. Specialized experience is defined as, experience writing non-technical reports, drafting responses to requests for information, and writing brief, informative or routine reports; gathering information, analyzing it and summarizing the results of your findings; taking responsibility for own actions to meet deadlines; presenting specific, pre-determined information at meetings, conferences, or seminars as a representative of a work or academic group; OR
  • A combination of specialized experience, as described above, and related graduate level education.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Applicants must successfully pass Phase 1 assessments (see below) to receive a Conditional Job Offer. In addition, applicants must successfully pass Phase II (see below) to receive final consideration for employment.
Phase I:
  • National Crime Information Center
  • Special Agent Entrance Exam (SAEE)
  • Applicant Physical Abilities Test (APAT)
  • Interview

Phase II:
  • Credit Check
  • Security Interview
  • Polygraph examination
  • Drug screening
  • Medical examination
  • Background investigation (a top-secret security clearance)

The Secret Service follows stringent guidelines relating to illegal drug usage. An applicant's history is reviewed and a determination for employment is made according to our guidelines. For more information regarding the U.S. Secret Service drug guidelines please click here to view our Drug Policy.
As part of the application process the applicant will be required to complete the United States Secret Service Applicant Physical Abilities Test (APAT). It is a physical fitness assessment which consists of four components (push-ups, sit-ups, Illinois Agility Run and a 1.5 Mile Run). The APAT is designed to measure the current level of general physical fitness of an applicant, which serves as an indicator of an applicant's ability to safely complete a vigorous physical training program. It evaluates the applicant's ability to perform the physical tasks required on the job by measuring muscular and dynamic strength, endurance, flexibility, aerobic capacity and other factors related to physical aptitude. For more information about the APAT, please click here.
General Medical Requirements: As determined by OPM the duties of this position require moderate to arduous physical exertion involving walking and standing, use of firearms, and exposure to inclement weather. Manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of fingers, wrist, elbows, shoulders, hips and knee joints is required. Arms, hands, legs and feet must function sufficiently in order for applicants to perform the duties satisfactorily.
Education
Applicants who are within 9 months of graduating from their Bachelor's program are encouraged to begin the application process for STAR. A final transcript from an accredited school confirming degree conferral and superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) which is based on class standing, grade-point average (minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0), or honor society membership is required prior to a final job offer. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit. For more information on S.A.A. please click here.
Additional information
Applicants selected for this position will be required to sign a continuing service agreement before being assigned to an initial training class. The continuing service agreement will commit the applicant to a specified period of employment with the Secret Service upon the successful completion of training.
Applicants will be required to travel to all phases of the hiring process at their own expense. If a final job offer is extended, relocation expenses will not be authorized for first duty location.
The Secret Service prohibits employees from having visible body markings (including but not limited to tattoos, body art and branding) on the head, face, neck, hand and fingers (any area below the wrist bone) (exception a single conservative and unobtrusive tattoo in the form of a ring is authorized on one finger).
If you are deemed minimally qualified for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entering Phase 1 of the hiring process. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
Since the duties of this position are exacting and involve the responsibility for the safety of others under trying conditions, applicants must possess emotional and mental stability. Any condition that would hinder full efficient performance of the duties of this position or that would cause the individual to be a hazard to himself/herself or to others is disqualifying.
There are also specific medical requirements for this position and any chronic disease or condition affecting the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, digestive, nervous, endocrine, lymphatic, nervous, genitourinary and other systems that would impair full performance of the duties of the position may also be disqualifying. Click here for more information.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to Equal Opportunity@usss.dhs.gov.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include flexible work schedules; tuition reimbursement; transportation