How Much Does a Security Guard Cost in 2026?

How much does a security guard cost per hour?

Security guards in the US earn a median wage of $18.28 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). What a security guard company bills you per hour is higher. For federal buyers, the median maximum rate contractors may charge is $49.37 an hour for an unarmed guard and $67.60 for an armed guard (GSA CALC+, November 2, 2026). A company’s rate also covers payroll taxes, insurance, supervision and fill-in cover.

No government source publishes the rates private businesses pay security companies, and quotes vary with the site, the hours and the state. Two kinds of published numbers give you real reference points:

• What guards must be paid. Federal wage data and state prevailing-wage schedules show the wage floor that any quote has to cover before the company’s other costs.
• What the federal government can be billed. The General Services Administration publishes the maximum hourly rates contractors may charge federal agencies for guard services under GSA schedule contracts. These are ceilings for federal buyers, not commercial market prices, but they show how wide the range is and how much armed work adds.

The sections below walk through both, then show how to turn an hourly rate into a monthly budget and how to tell whether a quote is realistic.

What do security guards actually get paid?

Half of US security guards earn less than $18.28 an hour and half earn more, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $14.52 and the top tenth earn over $28.29. That wage is usually the largest cost inside a security guard quote.

Here is the full spread from the BLS May 2025 estimates for security guards, which cover 1,283,470 jobs nationwide:

About 60 percent of security guards work in the investigation and security services industry, which includes the contract guard firms most businesses hire from, according to the same BLS May 2025 estimates. In that industry, the BLS puts the mean wage at $19.90 an hour and the median at $17.96 (May 2025), a little below the all-industry figures.

Why does a security company charge more than it pays the guard?

There’s no single fair bill rate for a security guard, but a fair one has to cover far more than the guard’s wage. The company pays employer payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, general liability insurance, licensing and training, supervisors, scheduling, and replacement guards when someone calls out, plus overtime and its own margin.

In words, the gap between the guard’s wage and your bill rate pays for:

• Employer payroll taxes on every hour the guard works.
• Workers’ compensation insurance, which covers the guard if they’re hurt on your site.
• General liability insurance, which covers claims arising from the guard’s work.
• Licensing, background checks and training, which most states require before a guard can work (more on that below).
• Supervision: field supervisors, site checks and someone answering the phone when there’s a problem.
• Scheduling and fill-in cover, so a post isn’t left empty when a guard is sick or quits.
• Overtime, which builds up quickly on long or round-the-clock schedules.
• The company’s overhead and profit.

Prevailing-wage rules show how fast the labor cost alone climbs above the base wage. In New York City, the New York State Department of Labor’s prevailing wage schedule for security guards, effective July 1, 2026, sets an unarmed guard with less than 36 months’ service at $18.87 an hour and an armed guard at $33.70. On top of the wage, employers must pay supplemental benefits of $7.95 to $8.47 an hour (for up to 40 paid hours a week), plus paid vacation, holidays and sick leave.

So a newly hired unarmed guard on a covered contract costs at least $18.87 + $7.95 = $26.82 an hour in wages and benefits, before payroll taxes, insurance, supervision or profit. On those contracts, the NYC Comptroller’s building service schedule for 2026-27 also requires time and a half after an 8-hour day or after 40 hours in a week.

These schedules apply to covered public contracts, not every private job. But they’re a useful check on what a guard’s time really costs an employer.

How much more does an armed security guard cost?

Armed guards cost substantially more than unarmed guards. Under GSA schedule contracts, the median maximum rate federal agencies may be billed for an armed guard is $67.60 an hour, against $49.37 for an unarmed guard (GSA CALC+, snapshot November 2, 2026). In New York City’s prevailing wage, the armed guard’s wage is $33.70 an hour, against $18.87 for a new unarmed guard.

The federal ceiling rates come from GSA’s CALC+ tool, which lists the most each contractor may charge federal agencies per hour for guard services (GSA’s Protective Service Occupations category, SIN 561612). We counted the rates for job titles naming an armed or unarmed guard or security officer, leaving out supervisory titles. They are maximums for federal buyers, not what a private business is quoted:

Armed guards cost more because they’re harder to qualify and keep. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook notes that “Positions for armed guards have more stringent background checks and entry requirements than do those for unarmed guards,” and that “Training is more rigorous for armed guards because they require weapons training.”

Two state examples:

• California. A Bureau of Security and Investigative Services firearms permit requires the applicant to be at least 21, already hold a guard registration (or another qualifying license), pass a DOJ and FBI criminal history check, and complete the required firearms training and qualification under Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 635.
• Florida. A Class G statewide firearm license requires 28 hours of classroom and range training, then four hours of requalification training every year.

Higher insurance costs and the extra liability of a firearm on site add to the price as well. Many sites, such as offices, retail stores and residential buildings, often don’t need an armed guard; a visible, well-trained unarmed guard handles deterrence, access control and reporting. If you’re weighing it, the page on armed security services covers when armed coverage makes sense. Decide based on the actual risk at your site, not on the assumption that armed is always safer.

Why do security guard rates vary so much by state?

Security guard pay, and therefore what you’re billed, depends heavily on where the site is. BLS data for May 2025 put the average guard wage at $29.19 an hour in the District of Columbia and $26.03 in Alaska, but $15.06 in West Virginia and $15.26 in Mississippi. Local minimum wages, prevailing-wage rules and state licensing requirements all move the price.

Average (mean) hourly wage for security guards by state, from the BLS May 2025 estimates:

State and city rules can push the floor higher still. Illinois, for example, sets prevailing wages for security guards on state contracts outside Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties: $23.38 an hour unarmed and $25.90 armed, effective September 1, 2026.

Licensing also differs by state, which affects training costs and how quickly a company can staff a post. The Occupational Outlook Handbook notes that “Most states require that security guards be licensed by the state in which they work.” In California, the BSIS guard registration fact sheet requires guards to:

• Be at least 18.
• Pass a DOJ and FBI background check.
• Complete Power to Arrest training before registration.
• Finish 32 hours of security skills training within six months.
• Complete 8 hours of continuing training every year.

Other states require more or less. Check your state’s regulator for the rules where your site is.

How much does 24/7 security guard coverage cost per month?

Round-the-clock coverage of one post means paying for 168 hours a week, or about 730 hours a month. To estimate the monthly cost, multiply the hourly bill rate you’re quoted by 730. At the national median guard wage alone, those hours come to about $13,344 a month in wages, before any employer costs or the company’s margin.

The arithmetic:

• Hours per week: 24 × 7 = 168.
• Hours per month: 24 × 365 = 8,760 hours a year, ÷ 12 = 730 hours a month.
• Monthly cost: your hourly bill rate × 730.
• Wages alone at the BLS median: $18.28 × 730 ≈ $13,344 a month (May 2025 wage data).

Staffing one post 24/7 also takes more people than most buyers expect. At 40 hours a week each, 168 hours needs 4.2 full-time guards, so in practice four to five guards on rotation, plus cover for vacations and sick days. Every gap filled by someone already working full time can mean overtime, which is typically paid at time and a half. Ask how a company handles that before you compare quotes.

If you need eyes on a property overnight but not a guard standing there every hour, mobile patrol security is the usual lower-cost alternative: a patrol officer visits on a schedule, checks the site and logs what they find. You give up constant presence in exchange for a much smaller bill, so it suits sites where the risk is opportunistic rather than constant.

How much does a security guard cost for an event or one night?

For a single event or night, you pay for every hour the guard is booked, not only the hours of the event itself. Some companies set a minimum shift length, and short notice, holidays or late nights may cost more. Ask about minimums and premiums before you compare quotes, because they change the total.

A few things that affect a one-off booking:

• Minimum shifts. Ask whether there’s a minimum booking, so you know whether a two-hour need will be billed as a longer shift.
• Setup and teardown. Guards are often needed before doors open and after the last guest leaves. Count those hours.
• Timing. Ask whether holidays, weekends or short-notice requests are priced differently. In some prevailing-wage schedules, holiday work carries extra pay by rule.
• Headcount. Larger events need more guards, sometimes with a supervisor on site. Venue rules, permits or your insurer may set the number.

For larger venues and crowds, see the overview of stadium and event security guards.

How do you tell if a security guard quote is too low?

A quote is too low if the hourly bill rate is close to, or below, what guards in your area are actually paid or must legally be paid. That rate can’t also cover payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, liability insurance and supervision, so something is being cut. For example, a $20-an-hour bill rate is below the average guard wage in New York ($22.33) and California ($21.60) and barely above the national median ($18.28, BLS May 2025).

Compare any quote against the wage data above for your state and, where it applies, the local prevailing wage. Then ask:

• What will the guard be paid per hour? If the answer is near the bottom of the BLS range for your state, ask how the company keeps guards on your post and trains replacements.
• Who carries workers’ compensation and general liability insurance? Ask for certificates of insurance, and check the coverage dates.
• What are the company’s and the guards’ license numbers? Verify them with your state’s regulator.
• How is overtime billed? Find out whether overtime is passed through to you, and at what rate.
• Who covers a no-show, and how fast? Ask what happens if the scheduled guard doesn’t arrive.

For a fuller list, see 8 questions to help you evaluate security guard services. If you already have a provider and the problems keep coming back, read 7 signs it’s time to fire your security guard company.

What to have ready when you ask for a quote

You’ll get faster, more comparable quotes if every company prices the same job. Whether you contact security companies directly or use a matching service like Bannerman, which connects you with vetted local security partners, have these details ready:

• Site type and address: office, construction site, retail store, residential building, event venue.
• Hours: days of the week, start and end times, and whether you need 24/7 coverage.
• Armed or unarmed, and why.
• Duties: access control, patrols, front desk, incident reports, parking lot checks.
• Start date and how long you need coverage.
• Any requirements from your landlord, insurer or venue.

With the same brief in every request, the differences between quotes come down to what each company actually provides.

Written and reviewed by the Bannerman team. Some guides are drafted with AI assistance; a person reviews every guide before it is published.