Security Guards and Patrol Services — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the security guards and patrol services industry earns $37,663 per year ($18.11/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do Security Guards and Patrol Workers Earn?
At $37,663/year (equivalent to $18.11/hour for a full-time worker), security guards and patrol services wages are below the national average of ~$65,000.
Lower wages in this industry are common in service-oriented or retail-adjacent sectors where entry barriers are lower. This can be an advantage for business owners managing payroll costs, but may contribute to higher turnover.
The typical security guards and patrol services business employs 46 people. These are larger operations where staffing represents a major cost center and management complexity.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average security guards and patrol services business generating $5.4M/year with 46 employees at $37,663 each, total payroll represents roughly 32.2% of revenue. Labor is a significant cost but leaves room for other expenses and profit.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a security guards and patrol servicesbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $48,962/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 46 employees = ~$1,732,498/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $18.11/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $5.4M/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full Security Guards and Patrol Services revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do security guards and patrol services employees make?
- The average security guards and patrol services employee earns $37,663 per year, which is equivalent to $18.11/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is below the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the security guards and patrol services industry?
- The security guards and patrol services industry employs 783,706 workers across 16,908 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 46 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).