• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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).

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National estimates for Security Guards
Industry profile for Security Guards
Geographic profile for Security Guards

National estimates for Security Guards:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Security Guards:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
1,124,890	0.4 %	$ 17.64	$ 36,700	0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Security Guards:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 11.55	$ 13.88	$ 16.71	$ 18.96	$ 24.69
Annual Wage (2)	$ 24,020	$ 28,860	$ 34,750	$ 39,440	$ 51,350

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Industry profile for Security Guards:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Security Guards:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Investigation and Security Services	690,810	72.83	$ 16.67	$ 34,660
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	42,610	0.76	$ 19.83	$ 41,240
Elementary and Secondary Schools	40,190	0.48	$ 19.96	$ 41,520
Traveler Accommodation	31,750	1.88	$ 18.16	$ 37,780
General Merchandise Retailers	26,730	0.83	$ 15.87	$ 33,020

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Security Guards:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Investigation and Security Services	690,810	72.83	$ 16.67	$ 34,660
Gambling Industries	13,530	6.71	$ 16.45	$ 34,210
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	1,180	5.62	$ 30.44	$ 63,310
Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events	7,490	5.38	$ 19.31	$ 40,160
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	15,460	3.92	$ 14.31	$ 29,760

Top paying industries for Security Guards:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction	80	0.07	$ 42.95	$ 89,330
Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods Retailers	580	0.47	$ 34.94	$ 72,680
Scientific Research and Development Services	1,680	0.19	$ 31.26	$ 65,020
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	1,180	5.62	$ 30.44	$ 63,310
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	3,960	1.05	$ 29.97	$ 62,330

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Geographic profile for Security Guards:

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

States with the highest employment level in Security Guards:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	166,660	9.45	1.24	$ 18.81	$ 39,120
New York	115,130	12.64	1.66	$ 20.05	$ 41,690
Texas	91,180	7.02	0.92	$ 16.18	$ 33,650
Florida	86,890	9.43	1.24	$ 15.70	$ 32,650
Illinois	46,510	7.90	1.04	$ 17.87	$ 37,160

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Security Guards:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia	14,440	20.92	2.75	$ 25.45	$ 52,940
Hawaii	9,100	15.30	2.01	$ 17.45	$ 36,300
Nevada	19,310	13.68	1.80	$ 15.19	$ 31,600
New York	115,130	12.64	1.66	$ 20.05	$ 41,690
California	166,660	9.45	1.24	$ 18.81	$ 39,120

Top paying states for Security Guards:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia	14,440	20.92	2.75	$ 25.45	$ 52,940
Maryland	24,790	9.39	1.23	$ 21.19	$ 44,070
Alaska	2,350	7.67	1.01	$ 21.04	$ 43,750
Washington	22,540	6.62	0.87	$ 21.03	$ 43,750
New York	115,130	12.64	1.66	$ 20.05	$ 41,690

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Security Guards:

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	124,250	13.53	1.78	$ 19.89	$ 41,370
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	69,640	11.42	1.50	$ 18.19	$ 37,840
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	41,670	9.44	1.24	$ 17.98	$ 37,400
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	39,500	15.06	1.98	$ 16.16	$ 33,610
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	38,130	12.59	1.66	$ 23.65	$ 49,190
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	30,110	7.91	1.04	$ 16.99	$ 35,340
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	26,420	8.65	1.14	$ 15.78	$ 32,830
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	24,310	8.78	1.15	$ 18.05	$ 37,550
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	23,230	9.71	1.28	$ 21.09	$ 43,870
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	21,490	7.88	1.04	$ 16.02	$ 33,320

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Security Guards:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Charleston, WV	3,300	32.88	4.32	$ 11.38	$ 23,670
Flint, MI	2,590	19.98	2.63	$ 14.37	$ 29,900
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	2,400	19.37	2.55	$ 16.55	$ 34,430
Urban Honolulu, HI	7,640	18.05	2.37	$ 17.09	$ 35,560
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV	17,150	16.74	2.20	$ 15.06	$ 31,330
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	39,500	15.06	1.98	$ 16.16	$ 33,610
Jackson, MS	3,560	14.39	1.89	$ 12.71	$ 26,430
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI	790	13.53	1.78	$ 17.03	$ 35,420
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	124,250	13.53	1.78	$ 19.89	$ 41,370
Hammond, LA	590	13.04	1.71	$ 12.30	$ 25,590