Security Guards salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Texas tax rules.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earns $35,460 a year ($17.05 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn between $28,980 and $42,880 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $27,670 or less and the top 10 percent earn $48,140 or more. BLS estimates 29,250 Security Guards jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area — 8.891 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.08 (above the national concentration). That is 2.3% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is the #7 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn about $1.12 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $32,930.12 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Security Guards is about $0.96 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #23 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #21 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $35,460 falls between the national 25th percentile ($35,210) and the national median ($38,020). Across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median is $49,410 a year — Security Guards pay is 28.2% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.40 | $38,270 |
| 10th percentile | $13.30 | $27,670 |
| 25th percentile | $13.94 | $28,980 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.05 | $35,460 |
| 75th percentile | $20.61 | $42,880 |
| 90th percentile | $23.14 | $48,140 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX earn 1.7 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($48,140 against $27,670). The middle half spans $13,900 — from $28,980 to $42,880. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($23.14) is 1.74 times the 10th ($13.30). In the upper half of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $42,880 takes home $36,634.28 and the 90th percentile wage of $48,140 takes home $40,860.26 — $4,225.98 more net for $5,260 more gross. Against the median take-home of $30,671.84, the top decile keeps 1.33 times as much. The mean wage of $38,270 sits 7.9% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, Security Guards ranks #23 by median pay. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers at $36,410 and Cooks, Restaurant at $35,050. Security Guards accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX employs 1.0 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Texas
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Texas; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $35,460.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,075.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,198.52 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $514.17 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $4,788.16 |
| Net pay (annual) | $30,671.84 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,179.69 |
| Total deduction rate | 13.50% of gross |
At the median, $30,671.84 of the $35,460 gross is kept ($1,179.69 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 13.50%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 11.83% at the 10th percentile, 12.13% at the 25th percentile, 14.57% at the 75th percentile, 15.12% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $11,168.96 on a gross rise of $13,900.
The same engine at the other published points of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($27,670) | $24,396.34 | $938.32 | 11.83% |
| 25th percentile ($28,980) | $25,465.32 | $979.44 | 12.13% |
| Median ($35,460) | $30,671.84 | $1,179.69 | 13.50% |
| 75th percentile ($42,880) | $36,634.28 | $1,409.01 | 14.57% |
| 90th percentile ($48,140) | $40,860.26 | $1,571.55 | 15.12% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,396.34 a year at the 10th percentile to $40,860.26 at the 90th — a spread of $16,463.92 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median wage of $49,410 takes home $41,880.92 a year ($1,610.80 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.24%). The Security Guards median take-home of $30,671.84 sits $11,209.08 (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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $35,460 is $2,560 (6.7%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $38,270 a year in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $4,200 (9.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $48,140 is 38% of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($128,040), and its 10th percentile of $27,670 is 101% of the area-wide 10th ($27,380).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $35,460 | $17.05 | $38,270 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$35,460 a year ($17.05 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $38,270 a year. Ranked by median pay, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX stands #23 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $35,460 in Texas?
About $30,671.84 a year ($1,179.69 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 13.50% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $42,880, take-home is $36,634.28.
How does pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX median of $35,460 is $2,560 (6.7%) below the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $48,140, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
$48,140 a year or more ($23.14 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
On $48,140 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $40,860.26 a year ($1,571.55 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 15.12%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
BLS estimates 29,250 Security Guards jobs in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area — 8.891 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The location quotient is 1.08 — above 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
From $24,396.34 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($27,670) to $40,860.26 at the 90th ($48,140), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
About $1.12 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 29,250 multiplied by the mean wage of $38,270.
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.