Security Guard Salary in Washington, DC (2026)
Median in Washington: $22.52/hour ($46,830/year) — $8,810 (23%) above the national median. Typical range: $38,660–$71,030.
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Washington, DC metro · refreshed 2026-08-25 · Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · U.S. Security Guard salary overview
The median Security Guard salary in Washington, DC is $22.52/hour ($46,830/year) ($8,810 (23%) above the national median), with a typical range of $38,660–$71,030. Data from BLS + Jobeezy ghost-filter (2026).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median | $22.52/hour ($46,830/year) | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| 25th-75th pct | $38,660–$71,030 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| Metro employment | ~40,950 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
Security Guard pay distribution in Washington, DC
National median: $38,020/yr. Washington is $8,810 (23%) above the national median.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 — Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (SOC 33-9032, Security Guard).
What security guard pay in Washington really looks like
Washington is a standout-pay market for security guards. The local median of about $22.52 an hour ($46,830 a year) runs $8,810 (23%) above the national median of $38,020, one of the widest premiums in the country for this occupation. Offers benchmarked to U.S.-wide averages will read far too low here — hold out for the local number, and treat the metro median as your floor, not your target.
Pay is spread wide across the metro: BLS puts the 25th percentile at $38,660 and the 75th at $71,030. A band that broad usually reflects a real mix of employers, shifts, and seniority — which means where you apply changes your pay as much as the job title does. The same security guard role can pay very differently across two Washington employers, so it pays to target the top of the band deliberately.
This is a substantial local market: BLS estimates roughly 40,950 security guard jobs across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 Washington against the BLS $46,830 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 Washington is concrete: a metro median of $46,830 with most security guards landing between $38,660 and $71,030. 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 $71,030, and applies for you — so your time goes to the jobs that clear the Washington median, not the ones that sit under it.
Security Guard pay by hour, week, month & year in Washington
| Period | Typical Pay |
|---|---|
| Per hour | $22.52 |
| Per week (40 hrs) | $901 |
| Per month | $3,902 |
| Per year | $46,830 |
How we know this — Washington sources
Wage figures for Security Guard in Washington, DC are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimate for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (MSA code 47900) (SOC 33-9032), released 2026-08-25. Suppressed cells are shown as an em dash, never a zero.
Grow your security guard pay in Washington
Advancing your pay in Washington 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
Related roles in Washington
Beyond Security Guard · same Washington BLS datasetOther roles hiring in Washington, DC alongside security guards, drawn from the same BLS OEWS May 2025 dataset:
- 01Washington · DC · median $102,710Registered Nurse pay in Washington
- 02Washington · DC · median $78,110Sales Representative pay in Washington
- 03Washington · DC · median $156,460Operations Manager pay in Washington
- 04Washington · DC · median $104,330Logistics Coordinator pay in Washington
- 05Washington · DC · median $67,960Warehouse Supervisor pay in Washington
- 06Washington · DC · median $119,170Dental Hygienist pay in Washington
- 07Washington · DC · median $46,640Medical Assistant pay in Washington
- 08Washington · DC · median $75,930Electrician pay in Washington
Security Guard pay in Washington, DC — common questions
- How much does a Security Guard make in Washington, DC?
- The median Security Guard salary in Washington, DC is $22.52/hour ($46,830/year) ($8,810 (23%) above the national median), with a typical range of $38,660–$71,030 (25th–75th percentile). Figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-08-25.
- Is Washington a strong pay market for Security Guards?
- At a $46,830 median, Washington is $8,810 (23%) above 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 Washington?
- Target employers paying toward the $71,030 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Security Guard openings in Washington and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.
- How many Security Guards work in Washington?
- BLS estimates roughly 40,950 security guard jobs across Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).