Security Guards salary in St. Louis, MO-IL
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Missouri tax rules.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earns $42,600 a year ($20.48 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in St. Louis, MO-IL earn between $36,450 and $48,130 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $32,460 or less and the top 10 percent earn $60,590 or more. BLS estimates 9,720 Security Guards jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL area — 7.247 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.88 (below the national concentration). That is 0.8% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, St. Louis, MO-IL is the #23 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in St. Louis, MO-IL earn about $0.44 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $37,228.04 a year, so the aggregate take-home of St. Louis, MO-IL Security Guards is about $0.36 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #9 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #26 largest of the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the St. Louis, MO-IL median of $42,600 falls between the national median ($38,020) and the national 75th percentile ($46,200). Across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median is $49,990 a year — Security Guards pay is 14.8% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $21.66 | $45,040 |
| 10th percentile | $15.61 | $32,460 |
| 25th percentile | $17.52 | $36,450 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $20.48 | $42,600 |
| 75th percentile | $23.14 | $48,130 |
| 90th percentile | $29.13 | $60,590 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in St. Louis, MO-IL earn 1.9 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($60,590 against $32,460). The middle half spans $11,680 — from $36,450 to $48,130. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($29.13) is 1.87 times the 10th ($15.61). In the upper half of the St. Louis, MO-IL distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $48,130 takes home $39,570.02 and the 90th percentile wage of $60,590 takes home $48,989.58 — $9,419.56 more net for $12,460 more gross. Against the median take-home of $35,378.76, the top decile keeps 1.38 times as much. The mean wage of $45,040 sits 5.7% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in St. Louis, MO-IL. Among the 30 covered occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL, Security Guards ranks #19 by median pay. In the St. Louis, MO-IL wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Office Clerks, General at $44,980 and Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand at $41,780. Security Guards accounts for 0.7% of all employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; St. Louis, MO-IL employs 0.3 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Missouri
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Missouri; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $42,600.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,932.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,641.20 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $617.70 |
| Missouri income tax | $1,030.42 |
| Total deductions | $7,221.24 |
| Net pay (annual) | $35,378.76 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,360.72 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.95% of gross |
At the median, $35,378.76 of the $42,600 gross is kept ($1,360.72 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.95%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 14.68% at the 10th percentile, 15.73% at the 25th percentile, 17.79% at the 75th percentile, 19.15% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $8,852.50 on a gross rise of $11,680.
The same engine at the other published points of the St. Louis, MO-IL wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($32,460) | $27,693.68 | $1,065.14 | 14.68% |
| 25th percentile ($36,450) | $30,717.52 | $1,181.44 | 15.73% |
| Median ($42,600) | $35,378.76 | $1,360.72 | 16.95% |
| 75th percentile ($48,130) | $39,570.02 | $1,521.92 | 17.79% |
| 90th percentile ($60,590) | $48,989.58 | $1,884.21 | 19.15% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $27,693.68 a year at the 10th percentile to $48,989.58 at the 90th — a spread of $21,295.90 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the St. Louis, MO-IL median wage of $49,990 takes home $40,979.44 a year ($1,576.13 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.02%). The Security Guards median take-home of $35,378.76 sits $5,600.68 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. St. Louis, MO-IL also covers parts of Illinois. The take-home estimate above uses Missouri 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 Illinois paycheck calculator.
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 St. Louis, MO-IL median of $42,600 is $4,580 (12.0%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $45,040 a year in St. Louis, MO-IL against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $2,570 (6.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $60,590 is 53% of the St. Louis, MO-IL all-occupations 90th percentile ($115,090), and its 10th percentile of $32,460 is 104% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $42,600 | $20.48 | $45,040 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$42,600 a year ($20.48 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $45,040 a year. Ranked by median pay, St. Louis, MO-IL stands #9 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $42,600 in Missouri?
About $35,378.76 a year ($1,360.72 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.95% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $48,130, take-home is $39,570.02.
How does pay in St. Louis, MO-IL compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The St. Louis, MO-IL median of $42,600 is $4,580 (12.0%) above the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $60,590, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in St. Louis, MO-IL?
$60,590 a year or more ($29.13 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
On $60,590 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $48,989.58 a year ($1,884.21 per biweekly paycheck) in Missouri under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.15%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in St. Louis, MO-IL?
BLS estimates 9,720 Security Guards jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area — 7.247 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The location quotient is 0.88 — 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 St. Louis, MO-IL?
From $27,693.68 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($32,460) to $48,989.58 at the 90th ($60,590), under the same single-filer assumptions in Missouri.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in St. Louis, MO-IL?
About $0.44 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 9,720 multiplied by the mean wage of $45,040.
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.