What Do Security Guards Earn Per Hour in 2026?
If you are researching security guard pay — whether you are already working in the industry, thinking about joining it, or managing a team and benchmarking wages — the honest answer is: it depends on where you work, how long you have been doing it, and what type of guard position you hold.
Here is the quick answer for the United States in 2026:
| Percentile | Estimated Hourly Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-level (10th pct) | ~$13/hr |
| National median | ~$16–$17/hr |
| Experienced (75th pct) | ~$20/hr |
| Top earners (90th pct) | ~$22–$26/hr |
These are guard wages — what the individual guard takes home. They are not the same as what a client pays when they hire a guard through an agency. That distinction matters, and we will cover it below.
Average Security Guard Pay
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median hourly wage for security guards around $16–$17 nationally, though wages have edged upward in high-cost metro areas and states with strong union or minimum wage floors.
Most guards earn between $13 and $22 per hour depending on their experience, location, and employer. Armed guards and executive protection specialists sit at the higher end of the range. Entry-level unarmed guards at retail or office posts typically start closer to the floor.
Pay by Experience Level
Entry-Level (0–1 Year)
New guards with no prior experience typically start between $13 and $15 per hour. Posts at this stage are usually unarmed retail patrol, standing desk duty, or access control at low-risk sites. Many employers offer a modest bump after 90 days once the guard demonstrates reliability.
Early Career (1–3 Years)
After one to three years, guards move into the $15–$18 per hour range. At this stage many are pursuing their armed guard permit, picking up supervisory shifts, or moving into industrial or healthcare environments that pay a few dollars more per hour than retail.
Mid Career (3–7 Years)
Mid-career guards with an established track record, armed permit, and specialized training typically earn $18–$22 per hour. Supervisors, site leads, and guards at financial institutions or government facilities fall into this bracket.
Late Career (7+ Years)
Experienced guards with senior posts, patrol supervisor roles, or specialized assignments such as executive protection or critical infrastructure can earn $22–$30+ per hour. Executive protection specialists with driving certifications and advance work experience can push significantly higher — see client-side EP rates below for context.
Pay by State
State wage data below reflects guard wages (not client billing rates), sourced from industry compensation surveys for 2025–2026:
| State | Approximate Guard Wage (Median) |
|---|---|
| California | ~$21.61/hr |
| New York | ~$21.28/hr |
| Illinois | ~$19.28/hr |
| Florida | ~$17.30/hr |
| Texas | ~$17.16/hr |
| National median | ~$16–$17/hr |
California and New York sit at the top largely because of higher minimum wages, strong licensing requirements, and concentration of high-value commercial sites. Florida and Texas are competitive markets with lower overall wage floors.
For guards considering relocation, the cost of living in the destination state matters as much as the nominal wage. A guard earning $21/hr in Los Angeles has less purchasing power than one earning $18/hr in a mid-sized Texas city.
Pay by Employer Type
Not all employers pay the same rate for the same guard.
Large national firms (the publicly traded contract security companies) offer the most consistent scheduling and the most defined career ladder, but wages are often at or near the market floor. Benefits such as health insurance and 401(k) may partially offset lower hourly rates.
Regional agencies vary widely. A well-run regional agency with strong client relationships and loyal guards sometimes pays above the national median. Others compete on price and pass that pressure onto guard wages.
Transparent multi-agency marketplaces like Calvis show guards what the client is actually paying per shift. Because pricing is visible on both sides, guards often capture a larger share of the billed rate than they would through a traditional opaque contract. If you are comparing platforms, look at the gross billing rate alongside what you will actually earn.
Direct hire (in-house) positions at corporations, hospitals, or universities often pay above contract agency rates and come with full employee benefits. These are harder to find but worth pursuing once you have a few years of field experience.
Skills and Certifications That Raise Pay
Credentials separate entry-level guards from higher-earning specialists. Here is what consistently moves the needle on hourly pay:
- •Firearms permit — Armed guard permits typically add $2–$5/hr over unarmed work. Requirements vary by state; California requires a separate BSIS firearms qualification, New York requires a pistol permit.
- •First aid / CPR / AED — Required by many healthcare and event clients; adds perceived value and occasionally a direct wage premium.
- •Supervisory certification — Guards with documented leadership experience or a guard supervisor license can step into shift lead roles at $1–$3/hr more.
- •Driver's license + defensive driving — Patrol car roles and executive protection driving pay meaningfully more than static posts.
- •Bilingual ability — Spanish-English fluency is a genuine differentiator in Southern California, South Florida, and Texas. Some clients specify it as a requirement.
- •Security management coursework — CPP (Certified Protection Professional) or PSP (Physical Security Professional) credentials from ASIS are the gold standard for career advancement into management.
What Guards Earn vs. What Clients Pay
This is the piece most guards either do not know or underestimate.
When a client hires a guard through an agency, they pay a billed rate — not the guard's wage. The agency marks up the guard's wage to cover payroll taxes, workers' compensation insurance, general liability insurance, uniforms, recruiting, management overhead, and profit margin.
A typical markup runs 25–75% above the guard's hourly wage. In practice:
| Guard Wage | Agency Markup | Client Billed Rate |
|---|---|---|
| $15/hr | ~50% | ~$22–$23/hr |
| $18/hr | ~50% | ~$27–$28/hr |
| $22/hr | ~40% | ~$30–$31/hr |
On Calvis, the average client billing rate across 6,464 jobs in the last 90 days was $31.59/hr for all guard types. That figure includes armed and executive protection assignments which pull the average up. Unarmed guards billed at roughly $29.60/hr on average to clients — meaning the guard on that shift may be earning anywhere from $17 to $22/hr depending on their agency and location.
The takeaway for guards: understanding the spread between your wage and the client billing rate helps you evaluate whether your employer is paying competitively. On platforms where billing rates are transparent, you are in a better position to negotiate or choose the agencies that pass more of the billing rate through to you.
How Guards Can Earn More
Increasing your hourly rate as a security guard is not a mystery. The path is:
- •Get licensed and stay licensed — An expired license costs you assignments. Renew early.
- •Stack certifications — Add your armed permit, first aid, and at least one specialty (healthcare, event, executive protection).
- •Take the less desirable shifts — Overnight and weekend shifts consistently pay a premium. Build a track record on harder shifts and leverage it for day-shift rate increases.
- •Move into supervision — Shift lead and site supervisor roles pay more and accelerate your move into management.
- •Work for clients who value expertise — Financial institutions, data centers, pharmaceutical facilities, and executive protection clients pay substantially more than basic retail patrol.
- •Choose transparent platforms — When the billing rate is visible, you can compare what you take home to what the client pays and make informed choices about where to work.
If you are looking for guard positions through a marketplace that shows you the shift pay upfront, browse open guard shifts on Calvis.