Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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 Security Guards
Industry profile for Security Guards
Geographic profile for Security Guards

National estimates for Security Guards: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Security Guards:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
1,054,400	1.1 %	$ 16.52	$ 34,360	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Security Guards:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 10.54	$ 12.60	$ 14.93	$ 18.86	$ 24.81
Annual Wage (2)	$ 21,930	$ 26,200	$ 31,050	$ 39,220	$ 51,600

---

Industry profile for Security Guards: Top

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	662,730	71.83	$ 15.63	$ 32,510
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	39,120	0.70	$ 18.74	$ 38,980
Elementary and Secondary Schools	32,980	0.40	$ 18.53	$ 38,540
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation)	24,290	0.45	$ 19.60	$ 40,770
Traveler Accommodation	22,010	1.45	$ 16.59	$ 34,520

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	662,730	71.83	$ 15.63	$ 32,510
Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events	8,910	7.82	$ 17.39	$ 36,180
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	1,170	5.98	$ 24.69	$ 51,340
Gambling Industries	9,400	5.51	$ 15.48	$ 32,200
Spectator Sports	5,780	5.26	$ 15.86	$ 32,980

Top paying industries for Security Guards:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	850	0.06	$ 28.44	$ 59,150
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	520	0.12	$ 27.16	$ 56,500
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	680	0.13	$ 26.76	$ 55,650
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	340	0.07	$ 26.66	$ 55,440
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities	200	0.02	$ 26.27	$ 54,640

---

Geographic profile for Security Guards: Top

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	158,150	9.63	1.27	$ 17.33	$ 36,040
New York	106,850	12.29	1.62	$ 18.80	$ 39,110
Texas	86,310	7.13	0.94	$ 15.25	$ 31,730
Florida	80,990	9.59	1.27	$ 14.35	$ 29,850
Illinois	40,770	7.24	0.96	$ 16.79	$ 34,920

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	13,700	19.93	2.63	$ 23.62	$ 49,130
Nevada	19,820	15.85	2.09	$ 15.90	$ 33,070
Hawaii	8,720	15.19	2.00	$ 17.00	$ 35,370
New York	106,850	12.29	1.62	$ 18.80	$ 39,110
New Jersey	37,970	10.04	1.32	$ 16.62	$ 34,560

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	13,700	19.93	2.63	$ 23.62	$ 49,130
Alaska	2,190	7.38	0.97	$ 20.90	$ 43,470
Washington	18,160	5.68	0.75	$ 19.95	$ 41,490
New York	106,850	12.29	1.62	$ 18.80	$ 39,110
Minnesota	10,520	3.88	0.51	$ 18.65	$ 38,800

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	120,900	13.69	1.81	$ 18.33	$ 38,130
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	69,460	11.93	1.57	$ 16.50	$ 34,320
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	38,680	8.87	1.17	$ 16.67	$ 34,680
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	37,120	14.80	1.95	$ 14.33	$ 29,800
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	34,220	11.32	1.49	$ 22.34	$ 46,460
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	28,500	7.94	1.05	$ 15.96	$ 33,200
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	26,760	9.01	1.19	$ 14.70	$ 30,580
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	24,050	8.92	1.18	$ 15.80	$ 32,870
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	21,380	9.17	1.21	$ 20.24	$ 42,090
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	20,110	7.64	1.01	$ 13.91	$ 28,930

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)
The Villages, FL	640	21.38	2.82	$ 11.26	$ 23,410
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV	17,950	19.89	2.62	$ 15.70	$ 32,660
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	2,000	18.03	2.38	$ 15.89	$ 33,040
Urban Honolulu, HI	7,310	17.64	2.33	$ 16.81	$ 34,960
Owensboro, KY	770	16.12	2.13	$ 12.69	$ 26,390
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	37,120	14.80	1.95	$ 14.33	$ 29,800
Columbia, SC	5,520	14.79	1.95	$ 15.89	$ 33,060
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	8,950	14.72	1.94	$ 13.18	$ 27,410
Flint, MI	1,790	14.70	1.94	$ 14.26	$ 29,660
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ	730	14.41	1.90	$ 14.79	$ 30,770