Security Guard Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in employment of security guards from 2025 to 2035 (+0.9%, about 11,300 more jobs), with about 156,000 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $38,020 a year ranks 756th of 825 occupations.
- Little or no change
- +0.9%
- Openings a year
- 156,000
- Median pay
- $38,020
- Pay rank
- 756th of 825
Is employment of security guards growing or shrinking?
Little or no change: BLS projects +0.9% employment change for security guards from 2025 to 2035 (about 11,300 more jobs), slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is about the same as the +1.1% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 24 protective service occupations with a projection. That change ranks 557th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 1,294,300 |
| Employment, 2035 | 1,305,600 |
| Projected change | +0.9% (little or no change) |
| Openings a year | 156,000 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 1,294,300 jobs here differ from the 1,283,470 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 156,000 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 20th most of 830 occupations. About 99% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 1,130 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for security guards rank?
The median of $38,020 a year ranks 756th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent.
- Typical on-the-job training: short-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers | +3.7% | 6,800 | $55,940 |
| Transit and Railroad Police | +3.2% | 300 | $90,230 |
| Transportation Security Screeners | -4.2% | 4,500 | $66,770 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | +3.5% | 51,500 | $76,210 |
| Parking Enforcement Workers | -1.1% | 800 | $46,730 |
| Protective Service Workers, All Other | +3.0% | 22,600 | $42,540 |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | -7.4% | 28,400 | $58,940 |
| Crossing Guards and Flaggers | +3.5% | 17,300 | $38,100 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.