Security Guard Salary

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How Much Does a Security Guard Earn In The United States?

Security Guard Salaries

Updated December 31, 2020

Average Yearly Salary

$30,000

$24,000

$30,000

$37,000

The average security guard makes about $30,235 per year. That's $14.54 per hour! Those in the lower 10%, such as entry-level positions, only make about $24,000 a year. Meanwhile, the top 10% are sitting pretty with an average salary of $37,000. Many of security guards seem to be drawn to finance and technology companies. Unless they care more about money, in which case security guards tend to work at government, professional, and hospitality companies. Even the employees who work in these industries can confirm that's where the money is. Although money is important, a lot of people base their career decisions solely on location. That's why we found that Hawaii, Washington and California pay security guards the highest salaries.

Best Paying Cities

1. Seattle, WA

Average Salary: $39,122

Security Guard Jobs: 2

2. San Francisco, CA

Average Salary: $36,034

Security Guard Jobs: 9

3. Boston, MA

Average Salary: $33,513

Security Guard Jobs: 7

4. Rochester, MN

Average Salary: $33,461

5. Denver, CO

Average Salary: $32,912

Security Guard Jobs: 9

6. New York, NY

Average Salary: $31,693

Security Guard Jobs: 53

7. Rochester, NH

Average Salary: $31,376

8. Camden, NJ

Average Salary: $30,051

9. Salt Lake City, UT

Average Salary: $29,978

Security Guard Jobs: 3

10. Chicago, IL

Average Salary: $29,565

Security Guard Jobs: 14

11. Omaha, NE

Average Salary: $29,333

Security Guard Jobs: 1

12. Las Vegas, NV

Average Salary: $29,069

Security Guard Jobs: 3

13. Saint Louis, MO

Average Salary: $28,510

Security Guard Jobs: 3

14. Phoenix, AZ

Average Salary: $28,489

Security Guard Jobs: 12

15. Baltimore, MD

Average Salary: $27,738

Security Guard Jobs: 10

16. Milwaukee, WI

Average Salary: $27,188

Security Guard Jobs: 2

17. Raleigh, NC

Average Salary: $26,846

Security Guard Jobs: 3

18. Philadelphia, PA

Average Salary: $26,304

Security Guard Jobs: 10

19. Wilmington, DE

Average Salary: $25,962

Security Guard Jobs: 5

20. Billings, MT

Average Salary: $25,917

Security Guard Jobs: 7

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Where Security Guards Earn The Most

The darker areas on the map show where security guards earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary

How Much Do Security Guards Earn In Different Cities?

While a security guard can average a salary of $30,235 per year, or $14.54 per hour, there are many opportunities for security guards to make more. For example, in Seattle, WA you might make $39,122 per year. Other high-paying locations include San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA and Rochester, MN. If you're in an entry-level position, your best bet is to move to Seattle, WA where the average starting salary is $29,000. The highest paying states for security guards include Hawaii, Washington and California. Meanwhile, Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia offer the lowest salaries.

City

Average Salary

Seattle, WA

$39k$39,122

San Francisco, CA

$36k$36,034

Boston, MA

$34k$33,513

Rochester, MN

$33k$33,461

Denver, CO

$33k$32,912

New York, NY

$32k$31,693

Rochester, NH

$31k$31,376

Camden, NJ

$30k$30,051

Salt Lake City, UT

$30k$29,978

Chicago, IL

$30k$29,565

$21k

$45k

High Paying Security Guard Jobs

Which Companies Pay Security Guards The Most?

If you want to get paid the most as a security guard, being employed by a company such as Harris or Washington State Employees Credit Union would be a smart choice, as they are the highest paying companies in this field. Additionally, companies like West Liberty Foods and Nabors Industries also report highly competitive salaries for security guards.

Company

Average Salary

Harris

$49k$48,962

Washington State Employees Credit Union

$36k$36,486

$35k$35,438

$35k$35,258

$35k$34,599

$34k$34,096

$34k$34,072

$34k$33,883

$34k$33,879

Mount Sinai Medical Center

$34k$33,856

$28k

$53k

The largest raises come from changing jobs.

See what's out there.

Security Guard Salary History

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

How Much Do Security Guards Make In Different Industries?

As we previously stated, security guard salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that government, professional, and hospitality companies tend to offer much higher salaries for security guards. For example, security guards make a whopping average salary of $31,153 while working for government companies. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $30,285 at professional companies and $30,059 at hospitality companies. But security guards may want to avoid working in the finance industry as it offers the lowest average salary at $29,146.

Industry

Average Salary

Government

$31k$31,153

Professional

$30k$30,285

Hospitality

$30k$30,059

Technology

$30k$29,791

Finance

$29k$29,146

$25k

$34k

How Experience Affects Security Guard Salaries

The salary for a security guard can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Recently Added Security Guard Salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date Added	Salary
Martinez and Company Security Martinez and Company Security Security Guard	Security Guard Security Guard	Tampa, FL Tampa, FL	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$25,357 $25,357 01/30/2021
Feather Falls Casino Feather Falls Casino Security Guard	Security Guard Security Guard	Oroville, CA Oroville, CA	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$32,349 $32,349 01/30/2021
State of Wyoming State of Wyoming Pssg-00147-Security Guard	Pssg-00147-Security Guard Pssg-00147-Security Guard	Evanston, WY Evanston, WY	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$31,326 $31,326 01/30/2021
Brinks Brinks Cash Transport Guard	Cash Transport Guard Cash Transport Guard	Clearwater, FL Clearwater, FL	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$28,008 $28,008 01/30/2021
Brink's Brink's Cash Transport Guard	Cash Transport Guard Cash Transport Guard	Clearwater, FL Clearwater, FL	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$28,008 $28,008 01/29/2021
University of Florida University of Florida OPS Security Guard	OPS Security Guard OPS Security Guard	Gainesville, FL Gainesville, FL	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$18,783 $18,783 01/29/2021
Crestline Hotels Crestline Hotels Loss Prevention Guard	Loss Prevention Guard Loss Prevention Guard	Denver, CO Denver, CO	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$33,392 $33,392 01/29/2021
Paramus Public Schools Paramus Public Schools Substitute Armed Security	Substitute Armed Security Substitute Armed Security	Paramus, NJ Paramus, NJ	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$59,271 $59,271 01/29/2021
Allied Universal Security Services Allied Universal Security Services Security Guard-Allied Universal	Security Guard-Allied Universal Security Guard-Allied Universal	Jeffersonville, IN Jeffersonville, IN	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$31,305 $31,305 01/29/2021
Trident Security Services Inc. Trident Security Services Inc. Security Guard-Upscale Shopping Mall	Security Guard-Upscale Shopping Mall Security Guard-Upscale Shopping Mall	Phoenix, AZ Phoenix, AZ	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$30,262 $30,262 01/29/2021

Updated December 31, 2020

Security Guard Salary

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How Much Does a Security Guard Earn In The United States?

1. Seattle, WA

2. San Francisco, CA

3. Boston, MA

4. Rochester, MN

5. Denver, CO

6. New York, NY

7. Rochester, NH

8. Camden, NJ

9. Salt Lake City, UT

10. Chicago, IL

11. Omaha, NE

12. Las Vegas, NV

13. Saint Louis, MO

14. Phoenix, AZ

15. Baltimore, MD

16. Milwaukee, WI

17. Raleigh, NC

18. Philadelphia, PA

19. Wilmington, DE

20. Billings, MT

How much should you get paid?

Where Security Guards Earn The Most

How Much Do Security Guards Earn In Different Cities?

High Paying Security Guard Jobs

Which Companies Pay Security Guards The Most?

The largest raises come from changing jobs.

Security Guard Salary History

How Much Do Security Guards Make In Different Industries?

How Experience Affects Security Guard Salaries

Recently Added Security Guard Salaries

Related Job Salaries

Related Salaries

Related Jobs