Is Memphis a strong pay market for Security Guards?

At a $35,100 median, Memphis is $2,920 (8%) below the national median. The U.S. median is $38,020. Jobeezy shows you which local employers actually pay at the top of that band before you apply.

How can I earn more as a Security Guard in Memphis?

Target employers paying toward the $36,880 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Security Guard openings in Memphis and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.

How many Security Guards work in Memphis?

BLS estimates roughly 8,450 security guard jobs across Memphis, TN-MS-AR (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).

Security Guard Salary in Memphis, TN (2026)

Median in Memphis: $16.88/hour ($35,100/year) — $2,920 (8%) below the national median. Typical range: $30,360–$36,880.

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BLS OEWS May 2025 · Memphis, TN metro · refreshed 2026-08-25 · Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · U.S. Security Guard salary overview

The median Security Guard salary in Memphis, TN is $16.88/hour ($35,100/year) ($2,920 (8%) below the national median), with a typical range of $30,360–$36,880. Data from BLS + Jobeezy ghost-filter (2026).

Salary stats
Metric	Value	Source
Median	$16.88/hour ($35,100/year)	BLS OEWS May 2025
25th-75th pct	$30,360–$36,880	BLS OEWS May 2025
Metro employment	~8,450	BLS OEWS May 2025

### Key facts: Security Guard pay in Memphis, TN BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data for Security Guards in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro. - Median Security Guard pay in Memphis, TN: $16.88/hour ($35,100/year) (BLS OEWS May 2025). - That is $2,920 (8%) below the national median (U.S. median $38,020). - 25th-75th percentile band: $30,360–$36,880. - BLS estimated metro employment: ~8,450 jobs.

Security Guard pay distribution in Memphis, TN

25th Pct (Memphis) $30,360 $14.60/hr

Median (Memphis) $35,100 $16.88/hr

75th Pct (Memphis) $36,880 $17.73/hr

National median: $38,020/yr. Memphis is $2,920 (8%) below the national median.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 — Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (SOC 33-9032, Security Guard).

What security guard pay in Memphis really looks like

At about $16.88 an hour ($35,100 a year), Memphis pays modestly below the national market for security guards — $2,920 (8%) under the U.S. median of $38,020. It is a real gap, but a beatable one: the higher end of the local range closes most of it, and a credential or a supervisory step can push a Memphis security guard past the national figure without leaving the metro.

Pay is tightly clustered here: the 25th-to-75th-percentile band runs just $30,360 to $36,880 (BLS). A narrow spread means the metro median is a dependable expectation rather than a midpoint between wildly different jobs — there is little room above it without a credential, a specialty, or a supervisory step, so the ladder up is about the role, not just the employer.

This is a substantial local market: BLS estimates roughly 8,450 security guard jobs across the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (a count of metro employment, not a survey of reported salaries). A deep employer base is good news for pay — it means more openings to compare side by side, more turnover creating vacancies, and more leverage to hold out for an employer at the top of the local range instead of settling for the first offer that lands.

Right now, Jobeezy is tracking 24 open security guard jobs in Memphis against the BLS $35,100 benchmark — the live listings and the employers hiring are below, so you can see which openings actually clear the metro median before you apply.

Put it together and the picture for Memphis is concrete: a metro median of $35,100 with most security guards landing between $30,360 and $36,880. The practical move is to aim for the upper half of that band. Jobeezy fit-scores local security guard openings, surfaces the employers posting toward $36,880, and applies for you — so your time goes to the jobs that clear the Memphis median, not the ones that sit under it.

Security Guard pay by hour, week, month & year in Memphis

Period	Typical Pay
Per hour	$16.88
Per week (40 hrs)	$675
Per month	$2,925
Per year	$35,100

How we know this — Memphis sources

Wage figures for Security Guard in Memphis, TN are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimate for the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (MSA code 32820) (SOC 33-9032), released 2026-08-25. Suppressed cells are shown as an em dash, never a zero.

Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · Jobeezy Compensation Data

Grow your security guard pay in Memphis

Advancing your pay in Memphis comes down to experience, credentials, and how you negotiate. We keep that guidance on the national Security Guard guide so it stays current in one place:

Compare Security Guard pay in nearby metros

Beyond Security Guard · same Memphis BLS dataset

Other roles hiring in Memphis, TN alongside security guards, drawn from the same BLS OEWS May 2025 dataset:

See all TN jobs → TN salary overview →

Security Guard pay in Memphis, TN — common questions

How much does a Security Guard make in Memphis, TN?: The median Security Guard salary in Memphis, TN is $16.88/hour ($35,100/year) ($2,920 (8%) below the national median), with a typical range of $30,360–$36,880 (25th–75th percentile). Figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-08-25.
Is Memphis a strong pay market for Security Guards?: At a $35,100 median, Memphis is $2,920 (8%) below the national median. The U.S. median is $38,020. Jobeezy shows you which local employers actually pay at the top of that band before you apply.
How can I earn more as a Security Guard in Memphis?: Target employers paying toward the $36,880 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Security Guard openings in Memphis and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.
How many Security Guards work in Memphis?: BLS estimates roughly 8,450 security guard jobs across Memphis, TN-MS-AR (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).