Security Guards in Virginia

Is Virginia a good place for you to work as a Security Guard?

You’re in luck! Jobs for Security Guards in Virginia are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Security Guards in Virginia is growing faster than average.

• Security Guards in Virginia earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Security Guards Work in Virginia?

In Virginia, there were 30,190 people working as Security Guards in the year 2018.

There were 30,570 Security Guards employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 380 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 11,470 Security Guards working in it, which means Virginia has more Security Guards than average.

Job Projections for Virginia

Jobs for Security Guards in this state are growing at a rate of 9.5% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 6.3%.

Virginia Annual Job Openings

The BLS is projecting 4,770 annual Security Guards job openings in Virginia, and 35,900 total jobs in the year 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 157,500 annual jobs and 1,193,900 total jobs in 2026.

What do Security Guards Make in Virginia?

In 2018 wages for Security Guards ranged from $19,540 to $57,430 with $32,740 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $9.39 to $27.61. The median hourly rate was $15.74.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $15.5 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.24.

The median salary in Virginia is higher than the nationwide median salary.

Top Virginia Metros for Security Guards

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Security Guards.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	36,110	$40,210
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	5,590	$30,700
Richmond, VA	5,290	$25,220
Roanoke, VA	1,950	$27,800
Charlottesville, VA	1,020	$19,060
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA	280	$29,980
Harrisonburg, VA	190	$34,130
Winchester, VA-WV	160	$27,550
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA	150	$32,850
Lynchburg, VA	130	$24,220
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA	70	$34,780

Top States for Security Guards Employment

The table below shows the states where most Security Guards work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	155,540	$29,660
New York	118,760	$32,020
Texas	88,250	$26,010
Florida	85,690	$24,380
Illinois	47,460	$29,920
Pennsylvania	42,900	$26,760
New Jersey	39,000	$29,970
Ohio	33,040	$26,200
Virginia	30,190	$32,740
Georgia	29,510	$26,300
Maryland	26,930	$32,420
Michigan	26,110	$24,420
North Carolina	25,890	$26,720
Tennessee	23,850	$23,970
Arizona	22,790	$26,320
Nevada	21,810	$28,720
Massachusetts	20,820	$32,400
Washington	18,130	$34,900
Indiana	17,960	$24,670
Louisiana	17,370	$24,730

Below are the states where Security Guards get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
Alaska	$42,240
District of Columbia	$40,810
Washington	$34,900
North Dakota	$33,910
Hawaii	$32,770
Virginia	$32,740
New Hampshire	$32,680
Maryland	$32,420
Massachusetts	$32,400
Missouri	$32,060

Related Careers in VA

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References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.