Security Guards Salary: $47,277 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 1,241,770 security guards nationally earn a mean of $47,277. Projections imply about 1.8% annual growth; CA accounts for about 176,550 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,209 |
| 25th percentile | $38,556 |
| Median (50th) | $45,179 |
| 75th percentile | $48,614 |
| 90th percentile | $61,007 |
What education do you need?
For Security Guards, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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 Workforce in 2023
The Security Guards workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Security Guards.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$47,277 Average Wage
In 2023, Security Guards earned an average of $47,277.
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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 176,550 employees, $47,173 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Security Guards.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 62,840 employees, $46,593 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 21,090 employees, $43,595 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 15,070 employees, $46,307 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 13,770 employees, $53,838 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 13,370 employees, $45,549 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 10,920 employees, $45,148 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 10,840 employees, $52,247 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 10,150 employees, $53,057 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 3,470 employees, $40,736 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 2,900 employees, $43,945 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 workforce of Security Guards in 2023 was 1,241,770 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Security Guards was $47,277 in 2023.
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.