Security Guards salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Pennsylvania tax rules.
Take-home estimate: single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Pennsylvania; city and local taxes are not included. Full breakdown below.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earns $37,450 a year ($18.00 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn between $35,990 and $45,640 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $31,330 or less and the top 10 percent earn $57,970 or more. BLS estimates 25,460 Security Guards jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area — 8.787 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.06 (above the national concentration). That is 2.0% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is the #9 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn about $1.07 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,777.02 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Security Guards is about $0.89 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #15 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #19 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $37,450 falls between the national 25th percentile ($35,210) and the national median ($38,020). Across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median is $54,310 a year — Security Guards pay is 31.0% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.28 | $42,180 |
| 10th percentile | $15.06 | $31,330 |
| 25th percentile | $17.30 | $35,990 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.00 | $37,450 |
| 75th percentile | $21.94 | $45,640 |
| 90th percentile | $27.87 | $57,970 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn 1.9 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($57,970 against $31,330). The middle half spans $9,650 — from $35,990 to $45,640. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($27.87) is 1.85 times the 10th ($15.06). In the upper half of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,640 takes home $37,450.78 and the 90th percentile wage of $57,970 takes home $46,979.02 — $9,528.24 more net for $12,330 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,121.34, the top decile keeps 1.51 times as much. The mean wage of $42,180 sits 12.6% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Security Guards ranks #23 by median pay. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Cooks, Restaurant at $38,270 and Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $36,930. Security Guards accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD employs 0.9 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Pennsylvania
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Pennsylvania; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $37,450.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,314.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,321.90 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $543.03 |
| Pennsylvania income tax | $1,149.72 |
| Total deductions | $6,328.66 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,121.34 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,196.97 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.90% of gross |
At the median, $31,121.34 of the $37,450 gross is kept ($1,196.97 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.90%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.76% at the 10th percentile, 16.66% at the 25th percentile, 17.94% at the 75th percentile, 18.96% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,457.68 on a gross rise of $9,650.
The same engine at the other published points of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($31,330) | $26,392.08 | $1,015.08 | 15.76% |
| 25th percentile ($35,990) | $29,993.10 | $1,153.58 | 16.66% |
| Median ($37,450) | $31,121.34 | $1,196.97 | 16.90% |
| 75th percentile ($45,640) | $37,450.78 | $1,440.41 | 17.94% |
| 90th percentile ($57,970) | $46,979.02 | $1,806.89 | 18.96% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $26,392.08 a year at the 10th percentile to $46,979.02 at the 90th — a spread of $20,586.94 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median wage of $54,310 takes home $44,150.50 a year ($1,698.10 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.71%). The Security Guards median take-home of $31,121.34 sits $13,029.16 (29.5%) below the area-wide median take-home of $44,150.50.
Multi-state metro area. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD also covers parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. The take-home estimate above uses Pennsylvania rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland paycheck calculators.
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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $37,450 is $570 (1.5%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $42,180 a year in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $290 (0.7%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $57,970 is 44% of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,280), and its 10th percentile of $31,330 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $37,450 | $18.00 | $42,180 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$37,450 a year ($18.00 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $42,180 a year. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #15 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,450 in Pennsylvania?
About $31,121.34 a year ($1,196.97 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.90% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,640, take-home is $37,450.78.
How does pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $37,450 is $570 (1.5%) below the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $57,970, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$57,970 a year or more ($27.87 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
On $57,970 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $46,979.02 a year ($1,806.89 per biweekly paycheck) in Pennsylvania under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.96%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
BLS estimates 25,460 Security Guards jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — 8.787 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
The location quotient is 1.06 — 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
From $26,392.08 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($31,330) to $46,979.02 at the 90th ($57,970), under the same single-filer assumptions in Pennsylvania.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
About $1.07 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 25,460 multiplied by the mean wage of $42,180.
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.