Guard pay in Pennsylvania

What security guards make in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has 43,610 security guards. Half earned more than $17.81 an hour (about $37,000 a year full time) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 survey, against $18.28 nationally.

Security guards, Pennsylvania	Hourly	Full-time year
25th percentile	$16.62	$34,500
Median	$17.81	$37,000
75th percentile	$21.30	$44,500
90th percentile	$26.36	$55,000
Supervisors, median	$22.84	$47,500

How Pennsylvania compares

Pennsylvania ranks 34 of 51 for median security guard pay (1 is highest), 3% below the national median of $18.28. The middle half of Pennsylvania guards earned between $16.62 and $21.30 an hour; the top tenth earned $26.36 or more.

Estimate your own pay

Your stateRoleExperience

$17.25–$19.50 /hr≈ $36,000–$40,500 a year full-time

you: $17.25–$19.50

25th
$16.62

median
$17.81

75th
$21.30

90th
$26.36

Pennsylvania guard median: $17.81/hr (-3% vs the national $18.28)43,610 guards employed in Pennsylvania

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