Security Guards Salary: $38,370 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 1,241,770 security guards work nationally, and $38,370 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 1.8% annual growth; much hiring sits in administrative and support and waste management and remediation services.
Security Guards: what the data shows
Common questions about security guards careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a security guards?
Security Guards is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 33-9032.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,241,770 workers.
What does a security guards do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a security guards make?
BLS national median annual wage: $38,370 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $47,277 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,209 |
| 25th percentile | $38,556 |
| Median (50th) | $45,179 |
| 75th percentile | $48,614 |
| 90th percentile | $61,007 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is security guards in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 9.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 19.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 1,241,770.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do security guardss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 1,241,770 | 16.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 1,126,310 | 15.3% |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 769,770 | 10.4% |
| Administrative and Support Services | 769,290 | 10.4% |
| Investigation and Security Services | 748,350 | 10.2% |
| Investigation, Guard, and Armored Car Services | 746,040 | 10.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Security Guards in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | 179,430 | $124,910 |
| Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers | 81,510 | $59,300 |
| Transportation Security Screeners | 46,340 | $63,360 |
| Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks | 229,070 | $48,450 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists | 2,780 | $52,380 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Security Guards workforce.
Employment Over Time
1,241,770 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Security Guards grew from 553,680 in 2009 to 734,420 in 2025 (32.6%).
Historical employment for Security Guards from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$38,370 Median pay (BLS national)
Security Guards earn $38,370 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Security Guards.
Salary distribution for Security Guards.
Employment Growth Projections
1.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
802,202 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 9.2%
876,239 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 19.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Security Guards.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Security Guards and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Security Guards employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Security Guards.
Wage Trends by Industry
16.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Security Guards.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Security Guards.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 185,510 employees, $45,970 avg wage
- NY: 132,140 employees, $45,920 avg wage
- TX: 99,370 employees, $37,500 avg wage
- FL: 95,350 employees, $39,000 avg wage
- IL: 53,560 employees, $43,850 avg wage
- PA: 43,710 employees, $40,770 avg wage
- NJ: 37,970 employees, $43,270 avg wage
- GA: 35,410 employees, $39,720 avg wage
- OH: 34,590 employees, $40,500 avg wage
- VA: 33,440 employees, $47,650 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Security Guards.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 138,940 employees, $45,680 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 77,910 employees, $45,250 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 48,140 employees, $44,020 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 41,760 employees, $40,490 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 39,200 employees, $55,040 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 29,900 employees, $39,850 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 27,180 employees, $37,910 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 25,400 employees, $51,600 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 25,150 employees, $43,440 avg wage
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR: 23,570 employees, $21,140 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Security Guards.
Diversity
Demographic information on Security Guards in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Security Guards is about 1,241,770 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Security Guards.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Security Guards.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Security Guards.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Security Guards in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Security Guards.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Security Guards workers.
Education level distribution for Security Guards.
Skills
Security Guards need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Security Guards.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Security Guards.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Security Guards include Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Security Guards.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Security Guards include Problem Sensitivity, Far Vision, Oral Comprehension, Near Vision, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Security Guards.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Security Guards.
Daily Activities
Security Guards spend their time on activities such as Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Security Guards.
About
Security Guards
Security Guards earn $38,370 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
33-9032 - Security Guards
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Security Guards reports an average salary of $47,277.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,241,770 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.