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The national median salary for Security Guards is $38,022 per year ($18.28/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $35,214 and $46,197 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $58,843 per year. There are approximately 1,283,470 security guards employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.4%
Little or no change
Annual openings
161K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
1.3M
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Investigation and Security Services
NAICS 561600
769K
$37,350
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
58K
$45,090
General Merchandise Retailers
NAICS 455000
52K
$35,190
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
49K
$46,060
Traveler Accommodation
NAICS 721100
31K
$39,420
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,190 to $46,060 (31% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.52
$30,202
P25
$16.93
$35,214
P50MEDIAN
$18.28
$38,022
P75
$22.21
$46,197
P90
$28.29
$58,843
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average security guards salary?
The national median salary for Security Guards is $38,022 per year ($18.28/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $35,214 and $46,197 annually.
How much do top-earning security guards make?
The 90th percentile salary for Security Guards is $58,843 per year ($28.29/hr). The 75th percentile is $46,197 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for security guards?
Entry-level Security Guards (10th percentile) earn approximately $30,202 per year ($14.52/hr). The 25th percentile is $35,214 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.