Guard pay in New York

What security guards make in New York

New York has 134,700 security guards. Half earned more than $21.27 an hour (about $44,000 a year full time) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 survey, against $18.28 nationally.

Security guards, New York	Hourly	Full-time year
25th percentile	$17.89	$37,000
Median	$21.27	$44,000
75th percentile	$24.93	$52,000
90th percentile	$29.13	$60,500
Supervisors, median	$28.79	$60,000

How New York compares

New York ranks 9 of 51 for median security guard pay (1 is highest), 16% above the national median of $18.28. The middle half of New York guards earned between $17.89 and $24.93 an hour; the top tenth earned $29.13 or more.

Estimate your own pay

Your stateRoleExperience

$19.50–$23 /hr≈ $40,500–$48,000 a year full-time

you: $19.50–$23

25th
$17.89

median
$21.27

75th
$24.93

90th
$29.13

New York guard median: $21.27/hr (+16% vs the national $18.28)134,700 guards employed in New York

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