Guard pay in Georgia
What security guards make in Georgia
Georgia has 36,210 security guards. Half earned more than $16.82 an hour (about $35,000 a year full time) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 survey, against $18.28 nationally.
How Georgia compares
Georgia ranks 47 of 51 for median security guard pay (1 is highest), 8% below the national median of $18.28. The middle half of Georgia guards earned between $14.87 and $18.78 an hour; the top tenth earned $23.36 or more.
Estimate your own pay
$14.87
$16.82
$18.78
$23.36
- 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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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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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, Georgia table. Full-time year is hourly pay times 2,080 hours. BLS does not separate armed and unarmed posts.