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Best states for a security guard
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to security guard jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In order to help you decide which state is the best for security guards, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for security guard jobs.
The median salary for security guards in Hawaii is $42,908. Compare that to the median salary in Louisiana of $23,482, which ranked worst for security guards, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Hawaii is the best state for security guard jobs, whereas Louisiana is the worst.
10 best states for security guards in 2025
1. Hawaii
Total security guard jobs: 137 Average annual salary: $42,908 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Location Quotient: 1.232. Minnesota
Total security guard jobs: 1,025 Average annual salary: $36,914 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 1.163. Washington
Total security guard jobs: 1,008 Average annual salary: $41,518 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Location Quotient: 1.034. Massachusetts
Total security guard jobs: 1,282 Average annual salary: $36,208 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 1.055. Oregon
Total security guard jobs: 500 Average annual salary: $36,599 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 0.96. New York
Total security guard jobs: 2,191 Average annual salary: $35,393 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 1.287. Alaska
Total security guard jobs: 97 Average annual salary: $36,132 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Location Quotient: 0.878. California
Total security guard jobs: 4,446 Average annual salary: $36,363 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 1.149. Rhode Island
Total security guard jobs: 200 Average annual salary: $32,081 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Location Quotient: 1.2310. Utah
Total security guard jobs: 405 Average annual salary: $33,438 Lowest 10 percent earn: $26,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
Security guard jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a security guard
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a security guard
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $42,908 | $34,000 | 1,427,538 | 137 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $36,914 | $29,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,025 |
| 3 | Washington | $41,518 | $33,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,008 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $36,208 | $28,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,282 |
| 5 | Oregon | $36,599 | $29,000 | 4,142,776 | 500 |
| 6 | New York | $35,393 | $27,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,191 |
| 7 | Alaska | $36,132 | $30,000 | 739,795 | 97 |
| 8 | California | $36,363 | $28,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,446 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $32,081 | $25,000 | 1,059,639 | 200 |
| 10 | Utah | $33,438 | $26,000 | 3,101,833 | 405 |
| 11 | Nevada | $32,124 | $25,000 | 2,998,039 | 290 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $35,067 | $28,000 | 755,393 | 87 |
| 13 | Illinois | $32,347 | $25,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,854 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $33,449 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 65 |
| 15 | Missouri | $32,061 | $25,000 | 6,113,532 | 770 |
| 16 | Vermont | $33,117 | $26,000 | 623,657 | 87 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $40,485 | $31,000 | 693,972 | 143 |
| 18 | Maine | $33,364 | $26,000 | 1,335,907 | 136 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $32,998 | $26,000 | 3,588,184 | 451 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $31,947 | $25,000 | 1,342,795 | 242 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $32,178 | $25,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,300 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $29,888 | $23,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,832 |
| 23 | Colorado | $34,032 | $27,000 | 5,607,154 | 611 |
| 24 | Arizona | $30,575 | $23,000 | 7,016,270 | 839 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $30,941 | $24,000 | 1,920,076 | 276 |
| 26 | Idaho | $32,151 | $25,000 | 1,716,943 | 152 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $31,178 | $24,000 | 5,795,483 | 639 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $31,379 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 78 |
| 29 | Virginia | $33,160 | $25,000 | 8,470,020 | 942 |
| 30 | Delaware | $30,076 | $23,000 | 961,939 | 181 |
| 31 | Indiana | $29,826 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 744 |
| 32 | Ohio | $29,082 | $22,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,333 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $28,944 | $22,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,282 |
| 34 | Kansas | $30,238 | $24,000 | 2,913,123 | 300 |
| 35 | Montana | $28,522 | $22,000 | 1,050,493 | 161 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $28,990 | $22,000 | 3,930,864 | 361 |
| 37 | Iowa | $29,199 | $23,000 | 3,145,711 | 373 |
| 38 | Michigan | $28,794 | $22,000 | 9,962,311 | 864 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $28,867 | $22,000 | 2,088,070 | 226 |
| 40 | Maryland | $31,087 | $24,000 | 6,052,177 | 639 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $28,331 | $22,000 | 4,454,189 | 405 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $27,494 | $21,000 | 6,715,984 | 733 |
| 43 | Texas | $27,376 | $21,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,631 |
| 44 | Alabama | $25,446 | $19,000 | 4,874,747 | 625 |
| 45 | Florida | $26,174 | $19,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,171 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $23,962 | $18,000 | 2,984,100 | 312 |
| 47 | Georgia | $26,032 | $20,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,404 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $26,952 | $20,000 | 5,024,369 | 541 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $26,597 | $20,000 | 1,815,857 | 153 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $25,621 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 250 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $23,482 | $18,000 | 4,684,333 | 360 |
Highest paying states for security guards
| Rank | State | Avg. Security Guard Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $42,908 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $36,914 |
| 3 | Washington | $41,518 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $36,208 |
| 5 | Oregon | $36,599 |
| 6 | New York | $35,393 |
| 7 | Alaska | $36,132 |
| 8 | California | $36,363 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $32,081 |
| 10 | Utah | $33,438 |
| 11 | Nevada | $32,124 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $35,067 |
| 13 | Illinois | $32,347 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $33,449 |
| 15 | Missouri | $32,061 |
| 16 | Vermont | $33,117 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $40,485 |
| 18 | Maine | $33,364 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $32,998 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $31,947 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $32,178 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $29,888 |
| 23 | Colorado | $34,032 |
| 24 | Arizona | $30,575 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $30,941 |
| 26 | Idaho | $32,151 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $31,178 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $31,379 |
| 29 | Virginia | $33,160 |
| 30 | Delaware | $30,076 |
| 31 | Indiana | $29,826 |
| 32 | Ohio | $29,082 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $28,944 |
| 34 | Kansas | $30,238 |
| 35 | Montana | $28,522 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $28,990 |
| 37 | Iowa | $29,199 |
| 38 | Michigan | $28,794 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $28,867 |
| 40 | Maryland | $31,087 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $28,331 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $27,494 |
| 43 | Texas | $27,376 |
| 44 | Alabama | $25,446 |
| 45 | Florida | $26,174 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $23,962 |
| 47 | Georgia | $26,032 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $26,952 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $26,597 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $25,621 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $23,482 |
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Updated January 8, 2025