How much do security guards make?
The typical security guard job on this site pays USD 19.00 an hour. Half of the jobs pay between USD 17.51 and USD 21.68. That is from 9,834 real job posts that show the pay, checked on Oct 21, 2026.
Typical payUSD 19.00 an hour
Middle halfUSD 17.51 to USD 21.68
Highest stateWashington, USD 23.72
Lowest stateMississippi, USD 15.41
Pay by state
44 states and DC have at least 15 jobs that show the pay. The typical pay goes from USD 15.41 in Mississippi to USD 23.72 in Washington.
| State | Typical pay | Middle half | Jobs counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | USD 23.72 | USD 22.44 to USD 27.02 | 120 |
| Hawaii | USD 23.18 | USD 20.25 to USD 26.19 | 158 |
| District of Columbia | USD 23.17 | USD 21.00 to USD 25.75 | 35 |
| Colorado | USD 23.00 | USD 20.97 to USD 24.75 | 116 |
| California | USD 22.00 | USD 20.00 to USD 24.89 | 1339 |
| Oregon | USD 22.00 | USD 20.50 to USD 25.00 | 48 |
| Massachusetts | USD 21.61 | USD 19.57 to USD 24.00 | 250 |
| Maine | USD 21.35 | USD 20.00 to USD 22.28 | 28 |
| Minnesota | USD 21.00 | USD 20.00 to USD 23.22 | 104 |
| Utah | USD 21.00 | USD 19.00 to USD 23.00 | 89 |
| Connecticut | USD 20.96 | USD 19.05 to USD 22.36 | 99 |
| Nevada | USD 20.96 | USD 18.75 to USD 22.50 | 105 |
| New Hampshire | USD 20.80 | USD 18.93 to USD 22.54 | 38 |
| Arizona | USD 20.60 | USD 19.43 to USD 22.38 | 210 |
| Rhode Island | USD 20.60 | USD 17.01 to USD 22.14 | 51 |
| Virginia | USD 19.50 | USD 18.00 to USD 22.50 | 495 |
| Illinois | USD 19.50 | USD 18.50 to USD 21.00 | 323 |
| New Mexico | USD 19.00 | USD 17.48 to USD 21.00 | 64 |
| New York | USD 19.00 | USD 18.50 to USD 21.45 | 731 |
| New Jersey | USD 19.00 | USD 18.00 to USD 20.00 | 218 |
| Maryland | USD 19.00 | USD 17.99 to USD 21.38 | 108 |
| Iowa | USD 19.00 | USD 18.75 to USD 19.47 | 61 |
| Idaho | USD 19.00 | USD 18.84 to USD 21.50 | 88 |
| Wisconsin | USD 19.00 | USD 18.00 to USD 20.00 | 145 |
| Nebraska | USD 19.00 | USD 18.82 to USD 20.03 | 48 |
| Kansas | USD 18.75 | USD 17.50 to USD 22.28 | 94 |
| Florida | USD 18.70 | USD 17.06 to USD 20.50 | 506 |
| Missouri | USD 18.56 | USD 17.00 to USD 20.58 | 207 |
| Delaware | USD 18.50 | USD 18.00 to USD 19.50 | 35 |
| Michigan | USD 18.35 | USD 17.00 to USD 19.00 | 133 |
| Ohio | USD 18.16 | USD 17.00 to USD 19.50 | 510 |
| Pennsylvania | USD 18.00 | USD 17.00 to USD 19.27 | 540 |
| Kentucky | USD 18.00 | USD 17.00 to USD 19.00 | 169 |
| North Carolina | USD 18.00 | USD 16.48 to USD 20.60 | 375 |
| Indiana | USD 17.95 | USD 17.22 to USD 18.56 | 275 |
| Tennessee | USD 17.77 | USD 17.00 to USD 19.39 | 215 |
| Georgia | USD 17.62 | USD 16.33 to USD 19.14 | 272 |
| Oklahoma | USD 17.57 | USD 16.00 to USD 20.77 | 48 |
| South Carolina | USD 17.50 | USD 16.82 to USD 18.69 | 226 |
| Texas | USD 17.26 | USD 15.50 to USD 20.00 | 743 |
| West Virginia | USD 16.78 | USD 16.00 to USD 17.32 | 30 |
| Arkansas | USD 16.56 | USD 15.36 to USD 17.72 | 64 |
| Alabama | USD 16.50 | USD 16.01 to USD 17.51 | 119 |
| Louisiana | USD 15.76 | USD 15.50 to USD 16.50 | 65 |
| Mississippi | USD 15.41 | USD 14.00 to USD 17.20 | 76 |
Cities that pay the most
Cities with at least 10 jobs that show the pay.
| City | Typical pay | Jobs counted |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | USD 27.90 | 81 |
| Menlo Park, CA | USD 27.00 | 10 |
| South San Francisco, CA | USD 26.63 | 16 |
| Palo Alto, CA | USD 26.63 | 14 |
| Kahului, HI | USD 26.50 | 19 |
| Mountain View, CA | USD 25.50 | 16 |
| Cambridge, MA | USD 25.37 | 10 |
| Kailua Kona, HI | USD 25.25 | 18 |
| Milpitas, CA | USD 25.00 | 17 |
| Oakland, CA | USD 24.91 | 15 |
Cities that pay the least
| City | Typical pay | Jobs counted |
|---|---|---|
| Brownsville, TX | USD 10.00 | 22 |
| Port Isabel, TX | USD 13.50 | 12 |
| Baytown, TX | USD 14.00 | 15 |
| Weslaco, TX | USD 14.00 | 11 |
| Jackson, MS | USD 14.18 | 10 |
Full time or part time
Full-time jobs pay USD 19.25 an hour (3894 jobs) and part-time jobs pay USD 19.00 (4565 jobs). The hourly rate is almost the same; full time mostly means more hours.
Which employers show the pay
Some employers put the pay in every job post, others never do.
| Employer | Jobs | Show the pay |
|---|---|---|
| Allied Universal | 8751 | 86% |
| Securitas | 1100 | 79% |
| GardaWorld | 893 | 98% |
| Ross Stores | 630 | 0% |
| Costco | 571 | 0% |
| Target | 321 | 0% |
| PalAmerican Security | 299 | 100% |
| Sun States Security | 235 | 0% |
| Prosegur | 220 | 100% |
| TJX Companies (Marshalls, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods) | 186 | 0% |
| Marksman Security | 153 | 12% |
| Live Nation Entertainment | 127 | 0% |
| Walden Security | 113 | 0% |
| Macy's | 111 | 100% |
| Brink's | 60 | 20% |
| Amazon | 57 | 0% |
| ASM Global / Legends | 53 | 13% |
| Nordstrom | 52 | 0% |
| UNIQLO USA | 52 | 8% |
| Lowe's | 42 | 0% |
| Trinity Health | 38 | 0% |
| Kroger | 35 | 57% |
| Meijer | 28 | 0% |
| Ochsner Health | 26 | 0% |
| A & Associates | 23 | 57% |
| Boscov's | 20 | 0% |
| Community Health Systems | 19 | 0% |
| Armorous | 19 | 100% |
| Sentry Force Security | 17 | 82% |
| Pinkerton | 15 | 53% |
| Corewell Health | 15 | 0% |
| Ascension | 14 | 0% |
| Sentara Healthcare | 14 | 0% |
| Station Casinos | 14 | 0% |
| Planned Companies | 12 | 25% |
| Sutter Health | 11 | 0% |
| Global Guardian | 11 | 100% |
| SecureOne Security Services | 11 | 45% |
| Signal of New England | 11 | 100% |
| Cascadia Global Security | 10 | 60% |
| Advanced Professional Security | 10 | 60% |
| Security USA Inc | 10 | 0% |
| MultiCare | 8 | 0% |
| Guardian Security Services | 8 | 100% |
| Mount Sinai Health System | 8 | 0% |
| CVS Health | 8 | 0% |
| Tenet Healthcare | 7 | 0% |
| Advocate Health | 7 | 0% |
| Star Pro Security | 7 | 100% |
| Valcor Security | 7 | 57% |
| Jefferson Health | 7 | 0% |
| Blueline Security Services | 7 | 100% |
| Texas A&M University System | 7 | 14% |
| UW Medicine | 6 | 0% |
| Ambassador Worldwide Protection Agency | 6 | 0% |
| NYU Langone Health | 6 | 0% |
| Signal of Northern Virginia | 5 | 100% |
| Baylor Scott & White Health | 4 | 0% |
| Topps Private Investigation & Security Firm | 4 | 100% |
| Baystate Health | 4 | 0% |
| SSA Security Group | 4 | 100% |
| Vanderbilt University and Medical Center | 4 | 0% |
| Maximum Security | 4 | 50% |
| Armed Enforcement | 3 | 100% |
| Northwell Health | 3 | 100% |
| HEI Hotels & Resorts | 3 | 0% |
| Signal of Washington D.C. | 3 | 100% |
| Private Eye Protection | 3 | 33% |
| Wake Forest University | 3 | 0% |
| Law Security & Investigations | 2 | 100% |
| Archon Protection | 2 | 100% |
| Adventist HealthCare | 2 | 0% |
| Convergence Executive Protective Services | 2 | 0% |
| Command Security Services | 2 | 100% |
| Northeast Georgia Health System | 2 | 0% |
| UofL Health | 2 | 0% |
| GuardCorps Security and Investigation Services | 2 | 100% |
| Iowa State University | 1 | 0% |
| Titan Protection and Consulting | 1 | 100% |
| University of Maryland Medical Center | 1 | 0% |
| Texas A&M University | 1 | 100% |
| Eagle Security Group | 1 | 0% |
| Stormont Vail Health | 1 | 0% |
| Cedars-Sinai | 1 | 100% |
| Northeastern University | 1 | 0% |
How we counted: 9,834 of the 14,579 jobs on this site on Oct 21, 2026 state an hourly pay. When a job gives a range, we use the middle of the range. Pay comes from the employers' own job posts, not from surveys. These numbers update every day.