U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

33-9032 Security Guards

Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment. Excludes “Police Officers” (33-3050) and “Transportation Security Screeners” (33-9093).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
1,126,370 0.9 % $15.88 $33,030 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.17 $11.85 $14.27 $18.24 $24.19
Annual Wage (2) $21,150 $24,650 $29,680 $37,950 $50,310

Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Investigation and Security Services 691,090 72.20 $15.07 $31,350
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 38,710 0.69 $18.18 $37,800
Elementary and Secondary Schools 32,330 0.38 $17.87 $37,170
Traveler Accommodation 31,360 1.53 $16.11 $33,500
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 25,130 0.45 $19.10 $39,720

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Investigation and Security Services 691,090 72.20 $15.07 $31,350
Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events 11,420 7.27 $15.79 $32,850
Spectator Sports 7,960 5.42 $15.96 $33,200
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank 1,000 5.26 $23.07 $47,990
Gambling Industries 11,760 5.19 $15.14 $31,490

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Water, Sewage and Other Systems (8) (8) $29.24 $60,820
Natural Gas Distribution 60 0.05 $28.65 $59,600
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 90 0.01 $28.22 $58,690
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 870 0.06 $26.84 $55,820
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 390 0.09 $26.53 $55,180

Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 162,850 9.37 1.22 $16.17 $33,640
New York 118,210 12.41 1.62 $18.03 $37,510
Texas 90,820 7.31 0.95 $14.78 $30,740
Florida 86,190 9.80 1.28 $14.01 $29,150
Illinois 46,120 7.65 1.00 $16.25 $33,800




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 14,810 20.47 2.67 $21.25 $44,200
Nevada 22,310 16.02 2.09 $15.89 $33,050
Hawaii 8,930 14.05 1.83 $16.67 $34,670
New York 118,210 12.41 1.62 $18.03 $37,510
New Jersey 40,170 9.83 1.28 $15.86 $33,000




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 14,810 20.47 2.67 $21.25 $44,200
Alaska 1,770 5.58 0.73 $20.70 $43,060
Washington 18,720 5.64 0.74 $19.73 $41,030
Missouri 17,330 6.14 0.80 $18.83 $39,160
Virginia 32,070 8.27 1.08 $18.27 $38,000





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 132,220 13.69 1.79 $17.58 $36,560
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 70,980 11.38 1.48 $15.82 $32,910
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 43,550 9.31 1.21 $16.20 $33,690
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 38,230 14.47 1.89 $14.15 $29,430
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 37,910 11.92 1.55 $21.33 $44,380
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 29,580 8.09 1.05 $14.46 $30,070
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 27,790 9.11 1.19 $15.00 $31,190
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 26,100 9.07 1.18 $15.09 $31,380
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 23,440 8.54 1.11 $13.03 $27,090
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 21,400 8.65 1.13 $18.55 $38,580