Guard pay in Arkansas

What security guards make in Arkansas

Arkansas has 6,390 security guards. Half earned more than $17.20 an hour (about $36,000 a year full time) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 survey, against $18.28 nationally.

Security guards, Arkansas	Hourly	Full-time year
25th percentile	$14.30	$29,500
Median	$17.20	$36,000
75th percentile	$19.81	$41,000
90th percentile	$27.60	$57,500
Supervisors, median	$25.96	$54,000

How Arkansas compares

Arkansas ranks 42 of 51 for median security guard pay (1 is highest), 6% below the national median of $18.28. The middle half of Arkansas guards earned between $14.30 and $19.81 an hour; the top tenth earned $27.60 or more.

Estimate your own pay

Your stateRoleExperience

$15.75–$18.50 /hr≈ $33,000–$38,500 a year full-time

you: $15.75–$18.50

25th
$14.30

median
$17.20

75th
$19.81

90th
$27.60

Arkansas guard median: $17.20/hr (-6% vs the national $18.28)6,390 guards employed in Arkansas

Experience places you inside the state wage distribution: newer guards near the 25th percentile, 7+ years between the 75th and 90th.

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Employers on tessura hire without recruiting overhead, which is exactly what makes higher wages affordable. Publish your free profile with your pay expectation and let the companies come to you.

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), 2025 annual estimates (bls.gov), retrieved 2026-08-30. Ranges are statistical estimates for negotiation context, not a guarantee of pay; local markets, sites, and shifts vary.

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Arkansas license requirements

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), 2025 annual estimates, occupations 33-9032 Security Guards and 33-1091 First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers, Arkansas table. Full-time year is hourly pay times 2,080 hours. BLS does not separate armed and unarmed posts.