Security guard statistics show a large U.S. occupation spanning contract security, retail, health care, schools, lodging, and public-facing facilities. The measures below distinguish observed employer-survey estimates, 2025 job-condition survey results, and forecasts from earlier projection periods.
Key Security Guard Statistics
The most broadly useful figures include:
- In May 2023, 1,202,940 security guards worked in the United States, according to the BLS employer survey estimate.
- In May 2023, security guards had a $19.44 mean hourly wage in the United States.
- In May 2023, the median security-guard wage was $17.82 per hour in the United States.
- In May 2023, the 90th-percentile security-guard wage was $27.60 per hour in the United States.
- In May 2024, 1,241,770 workers were reported in the security-guard row of the national BLS table, which is separate from the combined occupation group used for its wage figure.
- In May 2023, California employed 183,620 security guards, the largest state employment figure listed in the supplied state data.
- In May 2023, New York employed 121,920 security guards.
- In May 2023, investigation and security services employed 735,430 security guards in the United States.
- In May 2023, general merchandise retailers employed 44,640 security guards in the United States.
- In May 2023, hospitals employed 44,460 security guards in the United States.
- In May 2023, the New York metropolitan area employed 131,760 security guards.
- In May 2023, Hawaii had 15.21 security-guard jobs per 1,000 jobs.
- In 2025, more than 99.5% of U.S. security guards were in jobs requiring on-the-job training, according to the Occupational Requirements Survey.
- In 2025, security guards spent an average 61.9% of the workday standing.
- In 2025, speaking was required for more than 99.5% of U.S. security guards.
- For 2023–2033, BLS projects 156,000 average annual security-guard openings in the United States.
- For 2023–2033, BLS projects security-guard employment to grow 0.9%, from 1,294,300 to 1,305,600.
- In the GAO review period, about 12% of deployed contractor personnel identified as security guards worked for companies not on DOD’s certified-company list.
Contents
- U.S. employment scale and wages
- State employment, concentration, and pay
- Industry and metropolitan-area data
- Work requirements and job characteristics
- Employment trends, openings, and oversight
U.S. Security Guard Employment Scale and Wages
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program counted 1,202,940 security guards in May 2023. This is an employer-survey estimate for SOC 33-9032, and it generally excludes self-employed workers. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 33-9032 Security Guards
The May 2023 wage distribution shows why a single average should be read alongside percentile measures:
| May 2023 U.S. wage measure | Security guards |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile, hourly | $13.70 |
| 25th percentile, hourly | $15.22 |
| Median, hourly | $17.82 |
| Mean, hourly | $19.44 |
| 75th percentile, hourly | $21.46 |
| 90th percentile, hourly | $27.60 |
| Mean, annualized | $40,440 |
The annual figure is derived by BLS by annualizing the hourly mean over 2,080 year-round full-time hours; it is not a direct measure of every worker’s annual earnings. The mean and percentile estimates are not interchangeable: the mean is pulled upward by higher wages, while the median is the 50th percentile.
A separate BLS May 2024 national release reported 1,241,770 security guards in the security-guard row. Its $20.64 mean hourly wage belongs to a combined security-guard and gambling-surveillance occupation group, so that wage should not be treated as a security-guards-only estimate. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2024
Security Guard Statistics by State: Employment, Concentration, and Pay
The May 2023 state estimates show employment concentrated in several large states, while concentration measures identify places where security guards represent a larger share of local employment.
| State or district | Employment or concentration | Measure and period |
|---|---|---|
| California | 183,620 workers | Employment, May 2023 |
| New York | 121,920 workers | Employment, May 2023 |
| Texas | 98,660 workers | Employment, May 2023 |
| Florida | 91,200 workers | Employment, May 2023 |
| Illinois | 51,340 workers | Employment, May 2023 |
| Nevada | 22,490 workers; LQ 1.92 | Employment and location quotient, May 2023 |
| District of Columbia | LQ 2.62 | Highest listed location quotient, May 2023 |
| Hawaii | 15.21 jobs per 1,000 jobs | Employment concentration, May 2023 |
A location quotient compares an occupation’s local concentration with the national average; it is not a wage or headcount measure. Hawaii’s jobs-per-1,000 figure is likewise a concentration measure, so it should not be compared directly with the state worker counts.
Selected mean annual wage estimates were highest among the listed locations in the District of Columbia and Alaska:
- The District of Columbia’s May 2023 mean annual wage was $54,830.
- Alaska’s May 2023 mean annual wage was $52,220.
- Maryland’s May 2023 mean annual wage was $47,450.
- Minnesota’s May 2023 mean annual wage was $47,390.
- Washington’s May 2023 mean annual wage was $47,190.
These annual wages are annualized OEWS means, not medians, and state estimates can reflect different local industry mixes. All state employment, concentration, and wage figures in this section come from BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 33-9032 Security Guards.
Security Guard Data by Industry and Metropolitan Area
Investigation and security services was the dominant industry category in the May 2023 BLS table, with 735,430 security guards and 73.69% of employment in the security-guard industry table. The industry share is a BLS field and should not be read as the share of every security guard in every possible labor-market classification.
Other industries also employed substantial numbers of guards:
| Industry | Security guards, May 2023 |
|---|---|
| General merchandise retailers | 44,640 |
| General medical and surgical hospitals | 44,460 |
| Elementary and secondary schools | 44,010 |
| Traveler accommodation | 31,280 |
Metropolitan employment was especially large in major urban labor markets. The New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area employed 131,760 security guards, followed by 77,500 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and 46,500 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin in May 2023.
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro area had 15.00 security-guard jobs per 1,000 jobs in May 2023, a concentration measure rather than a total employment count. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area reported a $51,970 mean annual wage in the same month.
These metropolitan estimates and the industry figures above are from BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 33-9032 Security Guards.
Security Guard Work Requirements and Job Characteristics
The 2025 Occupational Requirements Survey describes sampled job requirements and conditions, not the credentials or personal characteristics held by every worker. Its measures therefore complement, rather than replace, employment and wage estimates.
- A high school diploma was required for 87.4% of security guards’ jobs in 2025.
- Prior work experience was required for 10.8% of security guards’ jobs in 2025.
- On-the-job training was required for more than 99.5% of security guards’ jobs in 2025.
- Speaking was required for more than 99.5% of security guards’ jobs in 2025.
- Moderate noise exposure was present for 94.6% of security guards’ jobs, while loud noise exposure was present for 3.6%, in 2025.
- Low postures were required for 39.2% of security guards’ jobs in 2025.
- Climbing ramps or stairs was required for 66.0% of security guards’ jobs in 2025, and driving was required for 58.0%.
The ORS also estimated average time allocation: security guards spent 38.1% of the workday sitting and 61.9% standing in 2025. These are average duration estimates, so they do not mean that every shift follows the same pattern. BLS, Security Guards: Occupational Requirements Survey Factsheet
Security Guard Employment Trends, Openings, and Oversight
BLS’s 2023–2033 occupational projection expects security-guard employment to rise from 1,294,300 in 2023 to 1,305,600 in 2033, an increase of 11,300 jobs and 0.9% growth. These are forecasts, not realized future counts, and the projection population is distinct from the May 2023 OEWS estimate.
BLS projects 156,000 average annual openings for security guards over 2023–2033. Openings include replacement needs as well as employment growth, which explains why annual openings can be much larger than the projected net increase.
The broader combined security-guard and gambling-surveillance group is projected to have 157,200 annual openings, but that group should not be substituted for security guards alone. BLS, Occupational Projections and Worker Characteristics
An earlier BLS industry projection provides historical context, not a current observed trend. For 2019–2029, investigation and security services employment was projected to grow 6.5%, while investigation, guard, and armored-car services represented about 84% of sector employment and were projected to grow 5.2%; security systems services represented roughly 16%. BLS, Investigation and Security Services
Oversight data cover a narrower population. During the GAO review period, about 12% of deployed contractor personnel identified as security guards worked for companies not on a DOD list of certified private-security-contractor companies; the finding excludes other job titles that may have performed private-security functions and is not a census of all private security guards. GAO, Private Security Contractors: DOD Needs to Better Identify and Monitor Personnel and Contracts