Security Guards salary in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area earns $45,730 a year ($21.99 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn between $44,160 and $54,840 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $40,340 or less and the top 10 percent earn $62,470 or more. BLS estimates 26,830 Security Guards jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area — 11.302 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.37 (well above the national concentration). That is 2.1% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is the #8 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn about $1.35 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $40,928.98 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Security Guards is about $1.10 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA stands #4 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $45,730 falls between the national median ($38,020) and the national 75th percentile ($46,200). Across all occupations, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median is $74,260 a year — Security Guards pay is 38.4% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $24.17 | $50,270 |
| 10th percentile | $19.39 | $40,340 |
| 25th percentile | $21.23 | $44,160 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $21.99 | $45,730 |
| 75th percentile | $26.36 | $54,840 |
| 90th percentile | $30.03 | $62,470 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($62,470 against $40,340). The middle half spans $10,680 — from $44,160 to $54,840. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($30.03) is 1.55 times the 10th ($19.39). In the upper half of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $54,840 takes home $44,267.62 and the 90th percentile wage of $62,470 takes home $49,841.28 — $5,573.66 more net for $7,630 more gross. Against the median take-home of $37,552.22, the top decile keeps 1.33 times as much. The mean wage of $50,270 sits 9.9% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, Security Guards ranks #23 by median pay. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Cooks, Restaurant at $46,030 and Stockers and Order Fillers at $45,130. Security Guards accounts for 1.1% of all employment in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA employs 0.9 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) | $45,730.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,307.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,835.26 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $663.08 |
| California income tax | $777.50 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $594.49 |
| Total deductions | $8,177.78 |
| Net pay (annual) | $37,552.22 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,444.32 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.88% of gross |
At the median, $37,552.22 of the $45,730 gross is kept ($1,444.32 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.88%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.94% at the 10th percentile, 17.63% at the 25th percentile, 19.28% at the 75th percentile, 20.22% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $7,893.84 on a gross rise of $10,680.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($40,340) | $33,506.68 | $1,288.72 | 16.94% |
| 25th percentile ($44,160) | $36,373.78 | $1,398.99 | 17.63% |
| Median ($45,730) | $37,552.22 | $1,444.32 | 17.88% |
| 75th percentile ($54,840) | $44,267.62 | $1,702.60 | 19.28% |
| 90th percentile ($62,470) | $49,841.28 | $1,916.97 | 20.22% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $33,506.68 a year at the 10th percentile to $49,841.28 at the 90th — a spread of $16,334.60 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median wage of $74,260 takes home $57,500.66 a year ($2,211.56 per paycheck, deduction rate 22.57%). The Security Guards median take-home of $37,552.22 sits $19,948.44 (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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $45,730 is $7,710 (20.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $50,270 a year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $7,800 (18.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $62,470 is 31% of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($203,570), and its 10th percentile of $40,340 is 103% of the area-wide 10th ($39,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $45,730 | $21.99 | $50,270 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
$45,730 a year ($21.99 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $50,270 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA stands #4 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $45,730 in California?
About $37,552.22 a year ($1,444.32 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.88% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $54,840, take-home is $44,267.62.
How does pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median of $45,730 is $7,710 (20.3%) above the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $62,470, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
$62,470 a year or more ($30.03 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
On $62,470 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $49,841.28 a year ($1,916.97 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 20.22%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
BLS estimates 26,830 Security Guards jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area — 11.302 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
The location quotient is 1.37 — 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
From $33,506.68 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($40,340) to $49,841.28 at the 90th ($62,470), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
About $1.35 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 26,830 multiplied by the mean wage of $50,270.
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.