Security Guards Salary in New York, NY (2024)
Security Guards in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn a median of $42,030 per year ($20.21 per hour) based on 138,940 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +9.5% against the national median of $38,370 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where security guards actually sit across the pay range in New York, NY, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.01 | $35,380 | |
| 25th percentile | $17.74 | $36,890 | |
| Median | $20.21 | $42,030 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $23.88 | $49,660 | |
| 90th percentile | $29.13 | $60,580 | |
| Average (mean) | $21.96 | $45,680 |
How New York, NY compares
The local median of $42,030 runs +9.5% above the US median of $38,370 for this occupation; it pays 30.5% less than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($60,460); within the metro it ranks 675th of 750 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY — this occupation | $42,030 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $38,370 | +9.5% |
| New York, NY — all occupations | $60,460 | -30.5% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $48,400 | -13.2% |
At a location quotient of 1.84, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 184% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.7%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 675th of 750 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in New York, NY
To put $42,030 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 675th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $230,130 | 1,520 |
| Psychiatrists | $229,630 | 3,680 |
| Commercial Pilots | $224,840 | 1,270 |
| Radiologists | $219,900 | 1,870 |
| Financial Managers | $216,520 | 77,970 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $216,420 | 900 |
| Surgeons, All Other | $215,640 | 4,130 |
| Neurologists | $214,820 | 920 |
| Athletes and Sports Competitors | $214,630 | 570 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $212,400 | 56,180 |
Where security guards earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $32,480 to $48,400. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $48,400 | 16,320 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $47,260 | 39,200 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $46,740 | 25,400 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $46,270 | 11,100 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $46,080 | 10,620 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $45,300 | 19,650 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $44,960 | 8,260 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $42,940 | 77,910 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $42,030 | 138,940 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $41,380 | 13,370 |
See the full national picture on the Security Guards salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for security guards in New York, NY?
The median annual wage is $42,030, or $20 per hour. That means half of the security guards working in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $45,680.
What do the highest and lowest paid security guards in New York, NY earn?
The bottom 10% earn $35,380 or less, while the top 10% earn $60,580 or more — a spread of $25,200 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $36,890 and $49,660.
Is security guards pay in New York, NY above the local average?
Yes, it is 30.5% below the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $60,460. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does New York, NY pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $42,030 the metro median is 9.5% higher than the US median of $38,370 for security guards. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $32,480 to $48,400.
How many security guards work in New York, NY?
BLS counts about 138,940 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 14.84 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.84, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 184% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 2.6%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.