Security Guards salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
Take-home estimate: single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included. Full breakdown below.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $38,500 a year ($18.51 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $37,150 and $45,580 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $36,090 or less and the top 10 percent earn $53,310 or more. BLS estimates 16,090 Security Guards jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 10.463 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.27 (well above the national concentration). That is 1.3% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #15 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $0.69 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $35,586.12 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Security Guards is about $0.57 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #12 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #13 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $38,500 falls between the national median ($38,020) and the national 75th percentile ($46,200). Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Security Guards pay is 34.4% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.73 | $43,110 |
| 10th percentile | $17.35 | $36,090 |
| 25th percentile | $17.86 | $37,150 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $18.51 | $38,500 |
| 75th percentile | $21.91 | $45,580 |
| 90th percentile | $25.63 | $53,310 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($53,310 against $36,090). The middle half spans $8,430 — from $37,150 to $45,580. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($25.63) is 1.48 times the 10th ($17.35). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,580 takes home $37,439.66 and the 90th percentile wage of $53,310 takes home $43,150.24 — $5,710.58 more net for $7,730 more gross. Against the median take-home of $32,125.84, the top decile keeps 1.34 times as much. The mean wage of $43,110 sits 12.0% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Security Guards ranks #25 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Stockers and Order Fillers at $39,160 and Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $38,450. Security Guards accounts for 1.0% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $38,500.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,440.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,387.00 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $558.25 |
| California income tax | $488.30 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $500.50 |
| Total deductions | $6,374.16 |
| Net pay (annual) | $32,125.84 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,235.61 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.56% of gross |
At the median, $32,125.84 of the $38,500 gross is kept ($1,235.61 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.56%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.99% at the 10th percentile, 16.25% at the 25th percentile, 17.86% at the 75th percentile, 19.06% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,326.86 on a gross rise of $8,430.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($36,090) | $30,317.48 | $1,166.06 | 15.99% |
| 25th percentile ($37,150) | $31,112.80 | $1,196.65 | 16.25% |
| Median ($38,500) | $32,125.84 | $1,235.61 | 16.56% |
| 75th percentile ($45,580) | $37,439.66 | $1,439.99 | 17.86% |
| 90th percentile ($53,310) | $43,150.24 | $1,659.62 | 19.06% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $30,317.48 a year at the 10th percentile to $43,150.24 at the 90th — a spread of $12,832.76 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Security Guards median take-home of $32,125.84 sits $14,954.12 (31.8%) below the area-wide median take-home of $47,079.96.
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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $38,500 is $480 (1.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $43,110 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $640 (1.5%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $53,310 is 35% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $36,090 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $38,500 | $18.51 | $43,110 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$38,500 a year ($18.51 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $43,110 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #12 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $38,500 in California?
About $32,125.84 a year ($1,235.61 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.56% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,580, take-home is $37,439.66.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $38,500 is $480 (1.3%) above the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $53,310, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$53,310 a year or more ($25.63 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $53,310 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $43,150.24 a year ($1,659.62 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.06%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 16,090 Security Guards jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 10.463 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The location quotient is 1.27 — well 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $30,317.48 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($36,090) to $43,150.24 at the 90th ($53,310), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $0.69 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 16,090 multiplied by the mean wage of $43,110.
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.