Best states for an armed guard

Q: What is the best state for armed guards?

The best state to be an armed guard is New York based on armed guard salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for armed guards?

The highest paying state for armed guards is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for armed guards?

The worst state for armed guards is South Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for armed guards in the United States. Armed guard positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for armed guards.As armed guards are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for armed guards. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an armed guard, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for armed guards. New York is the best state for armed guards, where the median salary is $55,028.We found that the South is best for armed guards, and the Northeast is the worst. Anchorage, AK is the best city in the country for armed guard jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.

10 best states for armed guards in 2025

1. New York
Total armed guard jobs: 987
Average annual salary: $55,028
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Armed guard jobs in New York
2. Minnesota
Total armed guard jobs: 521
Average annual salary: $46,241
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Location Quotient:
1.16
Armed guard jobs in Minnesota
3. Alaska
Total armed guard jobs: 41
Average annual salary: $66,586
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Location Quotient:
0.73
Armed guard jobs in Alaska
4. Connecticut
Total armed guard jobs: 207
Average annual salary: $49,216
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Armed guard jobs in Connecticut
5. California
Total armed guard jobs: 2,731
Average annual salary: $48,225
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
1.38
Armed guard jobs in California
6. Rhode Island
Total armed guard jobs: 82
Average annual salary: $45,189
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Location Quotient:
1
Armed guard jobs in Rhode Island
7. Massachusetts
Total armed guard jobs: 838
Average annual salary: $45,381
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Location Quotient:
1.35
Armed guard jobs in Massachusetts
8. Washington
Total armed guard jobs: 335
Average annual salary: $52,292
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
0.68
Armed guard jobs in Washington
9. New Jersey
Total armed guard jobs: 665
Average annual salary: $45,353
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
Armed guard jobs in New Jersey
10. Nevada
Total armed guard jobs: 126
Average annual salary: $45,020
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
0.89
Armed guard jobs in Nevada

Armed guard jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an armed guard

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an armed guard

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$55,028	$41,000	19,849,399	987
2	Minnesota	$46,241	$37,000	5,576,606	521
3	Alaska	$66,586	$58,000	739,795	41
4	Connecticut	$49,216	$37,000	3,588,184	207
5	California	$48,225	$35,000	39,536,653	2,731
6	Rhode Island	$45,189	$35,000	1,059,639	82
7	Massachusetts	$45,381	$36,000	6,859,819	838
8	Washington	$52,292	$41,000	7,405,743	335
9	New Jersey	$45,353	$34,000	9,005,644	665
10	Nevada	$45,020	$33,000	2,998,039	126
11	Utah	$42,433	$33,000	3,101,833	274
12	North Dakota	$52,395	$43,000	755,393	28
13	Nebraska	$44,172	$35,000	1,920,076	103
14	Wisconsin	$40,832	$32,000	5,795,483	371
15	Hawaii	$43,750	$37,000	1,427,538	78
16	Colorado	$43,416	$34,000	5,607,154	364
17	Pennsylvania	$39,606	$29,000	12,805,537	1,037
18	Oregon	$46,354	$35,000	4,142,776	118
19	Arizona	$42,672	$32,000	7,016,270	326
20	District of Columbia	$50,085	$37,000	693,972	55
21	Wyoming	$43,063	$34,000	579,315	21
22	Michigan	$41,088	$32,000	9,962,311	401
23	Ohio	$39,039	$30,000	11,658,609	675
24	Indiana	$38,823	$30,000	6,666,818	433
25	Virginia	$42,499	$31,000	8,470,020	548
26	Maryland	$43,752	$32,000	6,052,177	344
27	South Dakota	$41,324	$33,000	869,666	19
28	Illinois	$39,446	$31,000	12,802,023	994
29	Kansas	$40,415	$32,000	2,913,123	118
30	North Carolina	$37,749	$29,000	10,273,419	669
31	Vermont	$41,266	$33,000	623,657	29
32	Maine	$39,676	$32,000	1,335,907	55
33	Missouri	$38,791	$31,000	6,113,532	337
34	New Mexico	$39,356	$30,000	2,088,070	81
35	Oklahoma	$36,159	$29,000	3,930,864	192
36	Kentucky	$36,509	$29,000	4,454,189	213
37	Tennessee	$35,697	$28,000	6,715,984	363
38	Florida	$33,677	$24,000	20,984,400	1,415
39	Texas	$36,530	$27,000	28,304,596	1,010
40	Idaho	$38,576	$29,000	1,716,943	42
41	Delaware	$35,257	$26,000	961,939	80
42	West Virginia	$35,413	$27,000	1,815,857	62
43	Montana	$37,882	$30,000	1,050,493	37
44	Alabama	$34,251	$26,000	4,874,747	280
45	Mississippi	$30,166	$23,000	2,984,100	242
46	Georgia	$34,515	$27,000	10,429,379	589
47	New Hampshire	$35,506	$28,000	1,342,795	94
48	Louisiana	$34,176	$25,000	4,684,333	167
49	Iowa	$33,741	$27,000	3,145,711	180
50	Arkansas	$34,038	$27,000	3,004,279	115
51	South Carolina	$31,661	$24,000	5,024,369	222

Highest paying states for armed guards

Rank	State	Avg. Armed Guard Salary
1	New York	$55,028
2	Minnesota	$46,241
3	Alaska	$66,586
4	Connecticut	$49,216
5	California	$48,225
6	Rhode Island	$45,189
7	Massachusetts	$45,381
8	Washington	$52,292
9	New Jersey	$45,353
10	Nevada	$45,020
11	Utah	$42,433
12	North Dakota	$52,395
13	Nebraska	$44,172
14	Wisconsin	$40,832
15	Hawaii	$43,750
16	Colorado	$43,416
17	Pennsylvania	$39,606
18	Oregon	$46,354
19	Arizona	$42,672
20	District of Columbia	$50,085
21	Wyoming	$43,063
22	Michigan	$41,088
23	Ohio	$39,039
24	Indiana	$38,823
25	Virginia	$42,499
26	Maryland	$43,752
27	South Dakota	$41,324
28	Illinois	$39,446
29	Kansas	$40,415
30	North Carolina	$37,749
31	Vermont	$41,266
32	Maine	$39,676
33	Missouri	$38,791
34	New Mexico	$39,356
35	Oklahoma	$36,159
36	Kentucky	$36,509
37	Tennessee	$35,697
38	Florida	$33,677
39	Texas	$36,530
40	Idaho	$38,576
41	Delaware	$35,257
42	West Virginia	$35,413
43	Montana	$37,882
44	Alabama	$34,251
45	Mississippi	$30,166
46	Georgia	$34,515
47	New Hampshire	$35,506
48	Louisiana	$34,176
49	Iowa	$33,741
50	Arkansas	$34,038
51	South Carolina	$31,661

Best states for an armed guard

10 best states for armed guards in 2025

1. New York

2. Minnesota

3. Alaska

4. Connecticut

5. California

6. Rhode Island

7. Massachusetts

8. Washington

9. New Jersey

10. Nevada

Armed guard jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an armed guard

Detailed list of the best states for an armed guard

Highest paying states for armed guards

Armed guard best states FAQs

What is the best state for armed guards?

What is the highest paying state for armed guards?

What is the worst state for armed guards?

Search for armed guard jobs

Total armed guard jobs:	987
Average annual salary:	$55,028
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$41,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$72,000
Location Quotient:	1.14