Security Guards in Washington

Want to work in Washington as a Security Guard? Read this first!

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

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

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

How Many Security Guards Work in Washington?

In 2018, there were 18,130 Security Guards working in the state.

There were 19,760 Security Guards employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 1,630 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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

Job Projections for Washington

Jobs for Security Guards in this state are growing at a rate of 24.6% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 6.3%.

Washington Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 3,300 annual job openings, and a total of 24,140 jobs for Washington Security Guards in 2026.

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

What do Security Guards Make in Washington?

In 2018 wages for Security Guards ranged from $25,120 to $54,300 with $34,900 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $12.08 to $26.11. The median hourly rate was $16.78.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $16.31 an hour.

The hourly rate grew by $0.47.

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

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Top Washington 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
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	11,980	$36,120
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	6,310	$26,790
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	1,990	$27,120
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA	530	n/a
Kennewick-Richland, WA	500	$40,740
Bellingham, WA	370	$29,640
Olympia-Tumwater, WA	300	$32,150
Yakima, WA	280	$33,400
Wenatchee, WA	140	$36,600
Longview, WA	130	$30,660
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	110	$37,340
Lewiston, ID-WA	90	$25,010
Walla Walla, WA	60	$35,260

Top States for Security Guards Employment

View the list below to see 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 Washington

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation	Washington Employment Total
Gaming Surveillance Officers and Gaming Investigators	380

References

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.