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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

33-9032 Security Guards

Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment. Excludes “Police Officers” (33-3050) and “Transportation Security Screeners” (33-9093).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
1,126,370 0.9 % $15.88 $33,030 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.17 $11.85 $14.27 $18.24 $24.19
Annual Wage (2) $21,150 $24,650 $29,680 $37,950 $50,310


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Investigation and Security Services 691,090 72.20 $15.07 $31,350
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 38,710 0.69 $18.18 $37,800
Elementary and Secondary Schools 32,330 0.38 $17.87 $37,170
Traveler Accommodation 31,360 1.53 $16.11 $33,500
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 25,130 0.45 $19.10 $39,720

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Investigation and Security Services 691,090 72.20 $15.07 $31,350
Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events 11,420 7.27 $15.79 $32,850
Spectator Sports 7,960 5.42 $15.96 $33,200
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank 1,000 5.26 $23.07 $47,990
Gambling Industries 11,760 5.19 $15.14 $31,490

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Water, Sewage and Other Systems (8) (8) $29.24 $60,820
Natural Gas Distribution 60 0.05 $28.65 $59,600
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 90 0.01 $28.22 $58,690
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 870 0.06 $26.84 $55,820
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 390 0.09 $26.53 $55,180


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 162,850 9.37 1.22 $16.17 $33,640
New York 118,210 12.41 1.62 $18.03 $37,510
Texas 90,820 7.31 0.95 $14.78 $30,740
Florida 86,190 9.80 1.28 $14.01 $29,150
Illinois 46,120 7.65 1.00 $16.25 $33,800




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 14,810 20.47 2.67 $21.25 $44,200
Nevada 22,310 16.02 2.09 $15.89 $33,050
Hawaii 8,930 14.05 1.83 $16.67 $34,670
New York 118,210 12.41 1.62 $18.03 $37,510
New Jersey 40,170 9.83 1.28 $15.86 $33,000




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 14,810 20.47 2.67 $21.25 $44,200
Alaska 1,770 5.58 0.73 $20.70 $43,060
Washington 18,720 5.64 0.74 $19.73 $41,030
Missouri 17,330 6.14 0.80 $18.83 $39,160
Virginia 32,070 8.27 1.08 $18.27 $38,000





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 132,220 13.69 1.79 $17.58 $36,560
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 70,980 11.38 1.48 $15.82 $32,910
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 43,550 9.31 1.21 $16.20 $33,690
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 38,230 14.47 1.89 $14.15 $29,430
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 37,910 11.92 1.55 $21.33 $44,380
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 29,580 8.09 1.05 $14.46 $30,070
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 27,790 9.11 1.19 $15.00 $31,190
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 26,100 9.07 1.18 $15.09 $31,380
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 23,440 8.54 1.11 $13.03 $27,090
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 21,400 8.65 1.13 $18.55 $38,580




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
The Villages, FL 590 20.06 2.62 $10.79 $22,450
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 19,930 19.54 2.55 $15.98 $33,240
Owensboro, KY 990 19.33 2.52 $10.90 $22,670
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 2,340 17.72 2.31 $14.94 $31,070
Flint, MI 2,310 16.86 2.20 (8) (8)
Urban Honolulu, HI 7,410 16.19 2.11 $16.43 $34,170
Columbia, SC 6,150 16.09 2.10 $16.37 $34,050
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 9,160 14.48 1.89 $12.82 $26,670
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 38,230 14.47 1.89 $14.15 $29,430
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 8,020 14.39 1.88 $14.97 $31,140




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Idaho Falls, ID 290 4.38 0.57 $26.19 $54,470
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 560 4.76 0.62 $24.63 $51,230
Syracuse, NY 1,870 6.12 0.80 $23.21 $48,280
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 1,630 5.17 0.67 $23.17 $48,200
Pittsfield, MA 160 3.98 0.52 $23.06 $47,960
Kennewick-Richland, WA 470 3.98 0.52 $23.05 $47,940
Springfield, IL 400 3.86 0.50 $22.23 $46,250
Barnstable Town, MA 460 4.39 0.57 $21.85 $45,440
Kokomo, IN 90 2.28 0.30 $21.72 $45,170
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 37,910 11.92 1.55 $21.33 $44,380

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 1,410 6.01 0.78 $11.14 $23,170
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 1,140 6.72 0.88 $15.81 $32,890
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 1,100 6.03 0.79 $16.21 $33,720
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,060 5.91 0.77 $16.32 $33,950
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 920 9.05 1.18 $17.24 $35,870

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 670 9.36 1.22 $13.67 $28,420
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 920 9.05 1.18 $17.24 $35,870
West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 740 8.49 1.11 $16.84 $35,020
Arizona nonmetropolitan area 750 8.17 1.06 $15.71 $32,670
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 720 7.13 0.93 $11.21 $23,320

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 600 5.56 0.73 $21.99 $45,750
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 250 3.11 0.41 $20.70 $43,050
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 170 1.74 0.23 $20.39 $42,410
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 730 4.55 0.59 $20.29 $42,200
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 690 5.14 0.67 $19.96 $41,520


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020