Guard pay in Illinois

What security guards make in Illinois

Illinois has 53,830 security guards. Half earned more than $18.98 an hour (about $39,500 a year full time) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 survey, against $18.28 nationally.

Security guards, Illinois	Hourly	Full-time year
25th percentile	$17.82	$37,000
Median	$18.98	$39,500
75th percentile	$22.29	$46,500
90th percentile	$30.75	$64,000
Supervisors, median	$28.63	$59,500

How Illinois compares

Illinois ranks 19 of 51 for median security guard pay (1 is highest), 4% above the national median of $18.28. The middle half of Illinois guards earned between $17.82 and $22.29 an hour; the top tenth earned $30.75 or more.

Estimate your own pay

Your stateRoleExperience

$18.50–$20.75 /hr≈ $38,500–$43,000 a year full-time

you: $18.50–$20.75

25th
$17.82

median
$18.98

75th
$22.29

90th
$30.75

Illinois guard median: $18.98/hr (+4% vs the national $18.28)53,830 guards employed in Illinois

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

Getting paid under the band?

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.

Looking for better pay?

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Illinois 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, Illinois table. Full-time year is hourly pay times 2,080 hours. BLS does not separate armed and unarmed posts.