2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays
United States
Security Guards
United States. Estimated employment 1,283,470, with pages for 147 metro areas below.
Fig. 1 — The wage rule
Where you sit in the distribution
Drag the marker, or type a figure
$30,210 10th
$35,210 25th
$38,020 50th
$46,200 75th
$58,840 90th
Table 1 — By metro area
Where it pays
Every published Security Guards page, by median pay. Employment is the BLS estimate for the metro.
Metro area Median Employment
Kennewick, WA $54,670 500 Ithaca, NY $49,540 240 Hinesville, GA $48,780 120 Rochester, MN $47,790 520 Seattle, WA $47,490 17,030 Napa, CA $47,240 760 Washington, DC $46,830 40,950 Boulder, CO $46,450 480 San Jose, CA $46,250 11,800 Mount Vernon, WA $46,090 220 San Francisco, CA $45,730 26,830 Bremerton, WA $45,540 590 Denver, CO $45,420 10,910 Longview, WA $45,370 140 Barnstable Town, MA $45,230 300 Santa Rosa, CA $45,160 1,560 Syracuse, NY $45,050 1,770 Boston, MA $44,990 19,250 Lexington Park, MD $44,880 380 Kingston, NY $44,790 280 Jefferson City, MO $44,430 350 Utica, NY $44,420 950 Bellingham, WA $44,310 380 Kokomo, IN $44,080 110 New York, NY $43,980 142,760 Olympia, WA $43,920 840 Pittsfield, MA $43,860 270 Carson City, NV $43,640 120 Santa Cruz, CA $43,610 470 Minneapolis, MN $43,430 10,930 Fort Collins, CO $43,320 1,080 Albany, NY $43,250 2,340 Santa Maria, CA $43,250 800 San Luis Obispo, CA $42,980 530 Fayetteville, NC $42,940 710 Kiryas Joel, NY $42,910 3,080 Rochester, NY $42,860 3,300 Vallejo, CA $42,800 950 Colorado Springs, CO $42,670 2,210 St. Louis, MO $42,600 9,720 Springfield, IL $42,240 680 Chambersburg, PA $42,130 210 Ann Arbor, MI $42,100 630 Kansas City, MO $41,810 7,730 Decatur, IL $41,220 150 Midland, MI $40,880 120 Grand Rapids, MI $40,810 3,100 Saginaw, MI $40,730 210 Pueblo, CO $40,360 490 Springfield, MA $40,340 1,310 Traverse City, MI $40,060 180 Los Angeles, CA $40,030 83,280 Chicago, IL $39,990 48,360 Mankato, MN $39,760 150 Gettysburg, PA $39,500 130 Sacramento, CA $39,460 11,930 Naples, FL $39,450 1,040 Reno, NV $39,370 1,900 St. Joseph, MO $39,180 270 Springfield, MO $39,010 1,000 Reading, PA $38,960 1,050 Jackson, MI $38,750 170 Grand Junction, CO $38,590 230 Peoria, IL $38,530 540 Durham, NC $38,530 1,570 San Diego, CA $38,500 16,090 Worcester, MA $38,430 1,660 St. Cloud, MN $38,430 240 Odessa, TX $38,420 230 Michigan City, IN $38,370 120 Phoenix, AZ $38,290 23,160 Lansing, MI $38,210 550 Flagstaff, AZ $38,200 400 Lancaster, PA $38,090 880 Austin, TX $37,920 8,410 Harrisburg, PA $37,880 2,320 Joplin, MO $37,830 180 Dalton, GA $37,820 130 Amherst Town, MA $37,600 250 Duluth, MN $37,520 550 Midland, TX $37,500 240 Lebanon, PA $37,470 130 Philadelphia, PA $37,450 25,460 Kalamazoo, MI $37,340 470 Riverside, CA $37,280 22,010 Las Vegas, NV $37,210 23,800 Greeley, CO $37,190 470 Salisbury, MD $37,180 240 Crestview, FL $37,140 520 Detroit, MI $37,050 12,570 North Port, FL $37,040 2,590 Prescott Valley, AZ $37,030 370 Nashville, TN $37,010 10,710 Baltimore, MD $36,970 16,020 Rockford, IL $36,960 760 Wilmington, NC $36,960 960 Columbia, MO $36,950 640 Sebastian, FL $36,900 350 Asheville, NC $36,820 700 Rocky Mount, NC $36,810 120 Greenville, NC $36,730 220 Dallas, TX $36,680 34,000 Cape Girardeau, MO $36,630 140 Elkhart, IN $36,510 590 Indianapolis, IN $36,490 9,910 Rome, GA $36,430 140 Sierra Vista, AZ $36,410 310 Kingsport, TN $36,270 500 Tucson, AZ $36,250 3,450 Lafayette, IN $36,230 570 Tyler, TX $36,170 530 Abilene, TX $36,120 220 Punta Gorda, FL $36,100 220 South Bend, IN $36,090 900 Yuma, AZ $36,050 520 Miami, FL $36,040 41,530 Winston, NC $36,040 1,290 Allentown, PA $36,020 2,570 Tampa, FL $36,010 12,200 Jackson, TN $35,960 460 Clarksville, TN $35,900 340 Lake Havasu City, AZ $35,860 340 Knoxville, TN $35,810 2,860 Palm Bay, FL $35,650 1,430 Chattanooga, TN $35,650 1,820 Bloomington, IL $35,520 470 Amarillo, TX $35,520 590 Bloomington, IN $35,510 600 Orlando, FL $35,500 14,870 Houston, TX $35,460 29,250 Kankakee, IL $35,380 310 Gainesville, GA $35,360 380 San Antonio, TX $35,270 11,420 Atlanta, GA $35,150 22,730 Fort Wayne, IN $35,140 1,240 Memphis, TN $35,100 8,450 Charlotte, NC $35,010 12,020 Savannah, GA $34,810 1,880 Warner Robins, GA $34,530 190 Champaign, IL $34,250 390 Hagerstown, MD $33,990 760 Macon, GA $33,940 460 Arecibo, PR $22,080 310 San Juan, PR $21,840 22,420 Aguadilla, PR $21,840 610 Mayaguez, PR $21,840 690 Ponce, PR $21,840 600
Sources
How this page was made
Wage data Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
Employment 1,283,470 employed in this occupation nationally (BLS estimate; excludes the self-employed).
Occupation SOC 33-9032, Security Guards. Mapped to our taxonomy as security-guards .
Percentiles are reported exactly as released and are never interpolated between published values. We take no payment from employers, recruiters or anyone else for how any figure is presented.