Unless you’ve recently won the lottery, chances are you’re interested in becoming a security guard because the salary you’ll earn can help pay the bills. In the United States, the average security guard salary is $13/hr. or $27,000 per year. These numbers go up or down depending on your individual experience, your level of education. Another important factor in determining your salary level is the nature of the job requirements you are applying for and whether you are going to be “armed” or “unarmed”. The salary levels also vary by the company that hires you and as it is a competitive situation and the demand for security guards is increasing the levels that are set can very significantly. Additionally, you’ll find differences in security guard salaries from one state to another. Washington D.C. pays the most, at an average hourly rate of around $18 with Washington State coming in second where the median yearly salary there is $37,190.
Licenses
Other aspects of becoming a security guard vary from state to state, including whether or not you must be licensed in the field. For instance, if a private company in Arizona hires you to provide unarmed safety at their store and they pay you directly, no license is required; however, if you obtain the position through a security guard agency, you’ll be trained and then required to carry a license issued by Arizona’s public safety department. Each state is set up differently, though many do request a certain level of training in order to become registered in some capacity, whether it’s by the local jurisdiction or the state government. The costs of a basic 8-hour course, which New York and other states require, is minimal and often paid by the security company interested in hiring you. Even if you have to pick up all of the security guard education costs yourself, the total will likely not exceed $200, making the investment in a career as a security officer a lot less than obtaining a four-year college degree.
The Client
The greater the value of what requires protection, the more the job will pay. If you work for a limousine company that has been hired to chauffeur around a high-level client and you’re asked to ride along as a security guard, you might be pulling in over $50,000 a year. If you’re hired to provide security services at a hospital or high school, the number is around $30,000. An electrical power plant needs serious protection and will pay for it to the tune of about $47,000 per year. A popular bar in Toledo will employ a ‘bouncer’ as their security guard and offer, on average, $23,540 annually, whereas a trendy nightclub on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood might double that. Interested in becoming a security guard at your bank branch? With the proper training and credentials, you’ll average $18/hr. or around $38,000 per year depending on where you live.
Armed versus Unarmed
In order to carry a weapon as a security guard, you must undergo hours of training, not only to learn the proper ways of handling a gun, but to understand weapon retention – the act of keeping your gun away from the bad guys. An armed security guard will also be schooled in the laws surrounding gun ownership and the situational uses of a weapon, as well as crisis prevention and emergency procedures. For the client, there is more liability involved with hiring an armed security officer, which generally means there is more at stake. All of this is meant to explain why an ‘armed’ guard is compensated more than an ‘unarmed’ guard. With greater risk comes greater reward. Nationally, an armed security officer’s average salary is more than $36,000 annually, while a guard with little or no experience patrolling a parking lot without a gun will see a median salary of less than $20,000 a year.
Career Prospects
Unlike many industries that have seen a financial downturn with the current recession, or watched as jobs were shipped overseas, the security industry continues to see growth at a rate above the national average. Security agencies currently employ thousands more individuals than federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations combined and those numbers are only expected to increase. In fact, experts foresee that the number of private security companies employing armed and unarmed guards will double within ten years. In other words, financial security can become a reality if you choose a career path as a security officer.
Comparisons
Comparing the qualifications to become a security guard with those of a bank teller, roofer, or medical assistant is a case of judging apples against oranges, but it’s worth noting that all of these occupations are comparable in terms of compensation. There’s a good chance, however, that you’ll be on your way to collecting a pay check in the field of security services than the teaching assistant hoping to be hired at the local public school.
More than anything, the demand for security personnel is higher than ever, making the chances of finding a job in this field better than ever. With the proper information and guidance, a clean background check, required training and licenses (depending on the state), you could start your career as a security guard sooner than you think and continue working longer than you imagined possible.
Useful Resources
- Find a complete overview of security guard salaries broken down by state and by city at Salary.com
- Get a better understanding of the national salary trends for security guards at Indeed.com
