Security Guards salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Colorado tax rules.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earns $45,420 a year ($21.84 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn between $38,960 and $47,560 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $36,780 or less and the top 10 percent earn $57,330 or more. BLS estimates 10,910 Security Guards jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area — 6.777 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.82 (below the national concentration). That is 0.9% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is the #22 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn about $0.51 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $38,486.04 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Security Guards is about $0.42 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #5 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #27 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $45,420 falls between the national median ($38,020) and the national 75th percentile ($46,200). Across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median is $62,320 a year — Security Guards pay is 27.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $22.53 | $46,870 |
| 10th percentile | $17.69 | $36,780 |
| 25th percentile | $18.73 | $38,960 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $21.84 | $45,420 |
| 75th percentile | $22.86 | $47,560 |
| 90th percentile | $27.56 | $57,330 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($57,330 against $36,780). The middle half spans $8,600 — from $38,960 to $47,560. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($27.56) is 1.56 times the 10th ($17.69). In the upper half of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $47,560 takes home $39,010.42 and the 90th percentile wage of $57,330 takes home $46,430.80 — $7,420.38 more net for $9,770 more gross. Against the median take-home of $37,384.96, the top decile keeps 1.24 times as much. The mean wage of $46,870 sits 3.2% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Among the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, Security Guards ranks #22 by median pay. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand at $46,290 and Stockers and Order Fillers at $44,480. Security Guards accounts for 0.7% of all employment in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO employs 0.4 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Colorado
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Colorado; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $45,420.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,270.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,816.04 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $658.59 |
| Colorado income tax | $1,290.08 |
| Total deductions | $8,035.04 |
| Net pay (annual) | $37,384.96 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,437.88 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.69% of gross |
At the median, $37,384.96 of the $45,420 gross is kept ($1,437.88 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.69%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.20% at the 10th percentile, 16.64% at the 25th percentile, 17.98% at the 75th percentile, 19.01% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,531.96 on a gross rise of $8,600.
The same engine at the other published points of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($36,780) | $30,822.62 | $1,185.49 | 16.20% |
| 25th percentile ($38,960) | $32,478.46 | $1,249.17 | 16.64% |
| Median ($45,420) | $37,384.96 | $1,437.88 | 17.69% |
| 75th percentile ($47,560) | $39,010.42 | $1,500.40 | 17.98% |
| 90th percentile ($57,330) | $46,430.80 | $1,785.80 | 19.01% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,822.62 a year at the 10th percentile to $46,430.80 at the 90th — a spread of $15,608.18 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median wage of $62,320 takes home $50,220.38 a year ($1,931.55 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Security Guards median take-home of $37,384.96 sits $12,835.42 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Security Guards earns $38,020 a year ($18.28 an hour). The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $45,420 is $7,400 (19.5%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $46,870 a year in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $4,400 (10.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $57,330 is 38% of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO all-occupations 90th percentile ($149,200), and its 10th percentile of $36,780 is 98% of the area-wide 10th ($37,490).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $45,420 | $21.84 | $46,870 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$45,420 a year ($21.84 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $46,870 a year. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #5 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $45,420 in Colorado?
About $37,384.96 a year ($1,437.88 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.69% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $47,560, take-home is $39,010.42.
How does pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $45,420 is $7,400 (19.5%) above the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $57,330, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$57,330 a year or more ($27.56 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Security Guards in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
On $57,330 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $46,430.80 a year ($1,785.80 per biweekly paycheck) in Colorado under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.01%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
BLS estimates 10,910 Security Guards jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — 6.777 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
The location quotient is 0.82 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Security Guards in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
From $30,822.62 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($36,780) to $46,430.80 at the 90th ($57,330), under the same single-filer assumptions in Colorado.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
About $0.51 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 10,910 multiplied by the mean wage of $46,870.
Sources and method
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. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.