The highest-paying states for security guards (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of security guards in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $56,200, District of Columbia is the highest paying state for security guards. It is followed by Alaska (average annual salary $40,530). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of security guards in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $56,200 |
$37,070 | 14,440 |
| 2 | Alaska | $40,530 |
$30,180 | 2,350 |
| 3 | Washington | $38,650 |
$32,520 | 22,540 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $37,460 |
$31,070 | 22,600 |
| 5 | Maryland | $37,090 |
$28,870 | 24,790 |
| 6 | Vermont | $37,000 |
$28,730 | 790 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $36,880 |
$27,690 | 2,700 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $36,860 |
$27,300 | 10,720 |
| 9 | New York | $36,800 |
$30,310 | 115,130 |
| 10 | Colorado | $36,400 |
$28,770 | 16,370 |
| 11 | California | $36,200 |
$31,150 | 166,660 |
| 12 | Virginia | $36,120 |
$27,730 | 32,260 |
| 13 | Maine | $36,010 |
$29,300 | 1,560 |
| 14 | Illinois | $35,510 |
$28,390 | 46,510 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $35,270 |
$28,460 | 11,670 |
| 16 | Hawaii | $35,230 |
$28,090 | 9,100 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $35,200 |
$28,010 | 37,940 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $35,150 |
$29,100 | 3,010 |
| 19 | Oregon | $34,770 |
$29,740 | 9,580 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $34,530 |
$25,490 | 1,410 |
| 21 | Idaho | $33,550 |
$23,500 | 2,480 |
| 22 | Missouri | $33,280 |
$25,940 | 18,270 |
| 23 | Iowa | $32,880 |
$22,300 | 5,760 |
| 24 | Arizona | $31,850 |
$28,140 | 23,510 |
| 25 | Delaware | $31,740 |
$24,000 | 2,930 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $31,720 |
$23,000 | 9,810 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $31,410 |
$26,400 | 940 |
| 28 | Michigan | $31,250 |
$21,670 | 22,730 |
| 29 | Utah | $31,180 |
$25,030 | 5,660 |
| 30 | Indiana | $30,910 |
$23,020 | 17,130 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $30,750 |
$24,850 | 1,350 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $30,450 |
$23,730 | 4,490 |
| 33 | Pennsylvania | $30,390 |
$23,150 | 40,520 |
| 34 | Kansas | $30,360 |
$23,390 | 5,570 |
| 35 | Nevada | $29,910 |
$20,470 | 19,310 |
| 36 | Ohio | $29,560 |
$22,250 | 33,320 |
| 37 | Texas | $29,330 |
$22,410 | 91,180 |
| 38 | Florida | $29,280 |
$22,820 | 86,890 |
| 39 | Montana | $29,230 |
$24,500 | 1,150 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $29,130 |
$22,400 | 24,590 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $29,100 |
$23,920 | 6,610 |
| 42 | Georgia | $28,920 |
$21,830 | 34,350 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $28,920 |
$22,600 | 26,110 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $28,750 |
$21,250 | 12,180 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $28,560 |
$23,090 | 6,220 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $28,510 |
$18,680 | 14,660 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $28,250 |
$21,340 | 11,030 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $28,200 |
$21,440 | 13,430 |
| 49 | Virgin Islands | $27,930 |
$21,840 | 1,170 |
| 50 | Alabama | $26,000 |
$18,090 | 14,530 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $24,980 |
$18,690 | 9,820 |
| 52 | West Virginia | $22,110 |
$18,200 | 6,250 |
| 53 | Guam | $19,240 |
$19,240 | 890 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $17,680 |
$17,680 | 27,480 |