Security Guards salary

What Security Guards earn across the United States and in the largest metro areas — the official BLS OEWS May 2025 figures.

National wages — United States

Nationally, BLS estimates 1,283,470 Security Guards jobs — 0.8% of all US employment. The national median wage is $38,020 a year ($18.28 an hour) and the mean is $42,470 a year, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026.

Wage level	Hourly	Annual
Mean	$20.42	$42,470
10th percentile	$14.52	$30,210
25th percentile	$16.93	$35,210
Median (50th percentile)	$18.28	$38,020
75th percentile	$22.21	$46,200
90th percentile	$28.29	$58,840

Median pay by metro area

Metro area	Median annual	Median hourly	Employment	vs US median
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$47,490	$22.83	17,030	+24.9%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$46,830	$22.52	40,950	+23.2%
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$46,820	$22.51	9,110	+23.1%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$45,730	$21.99	26,830	+20.3%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$45,420	$21.84	10,910	+19.5%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$44,990	$21.63	19,250	+18.3%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$43,980	$21.15	142,760	+15.7%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$43,430	$20.88	10,930	+14.2%
St. Louis, MO-IL	$42,600	$20.48	9,720	+12.0%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$40,030	$19.25	83,280	+5.3%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$39,990	$19.22	48,360	+5.2%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$38,500	$18.51	16,090	+1.3%
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$38,290	$18.41	23,160	+0.7%
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	$37,920	$18.23	8,410	-0.3%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$37,450	$18.00	25,460	-1.5%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$37,280	$17.92	22,010	-1.9%
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$37,050	$17.81	12,570	-2.6%
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$36,970	$17.78	16,020	-2.8%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$36,680	$17.63	34,000	-3.5%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$36,040	$17.33	41,530	-5.2%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$36,010	$17.31	12,200	-5.3%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$35,500	$17.07	14,870	-6.6%
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$35,460	$17.05	29,250	-6.7%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$35,150	$16.90	22,730	-7.5%
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$35,010	$16.83	12,020	-7.9%

Each metro page carries the full OEWS wage distribution, the employment figures, and the estimated take-home pay on that metro's median under 2026 tax rules.

Sources

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. Take-home estimates are computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 rules.