Security Guards Salary in Washington
Security Guards in Washington earn a median $47,100 a year, +24% against the national median of $38,020; they and rank 3rd of 51 states by median. That is 25% less than the median across all occupations in Washington ($62,990). Washington pays more than every neighbouring state: Oregon and Idaho range from $38,300 in Idaho to $45,500 in Oregon. Washington employs 25,800 security guards, 7.26 per 1,000 jobs, the 16th largest count of any state. A location quotient of 0.88 is close to the national share.
Washington vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Washington | Hourly | $18.13 | $20.21 | $22.64 | $27.40 | $32.88 | $24.41 | 25,800 | 7.27 | 0.88 |
| Annual | $37,720 | $42,030 | $47,100 | $56,990 | $68,390 | $50,770 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $14.52 | $16.93 | $18.28 | $22.21 | $28.29 | $20.42 | 1,283,470 | – | – |
| Annual | $30,210 | $35,210 | $38,020 | $46,200 | $58,840 | $42,470 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 3rd of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 16th of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 0.88
- Jobs per 1,000
- 7.27
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Washington's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in Washington
13 metropolitan areas and 2 nonmetropolitan areas touching Washington publish a row for security guards, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $26.29 | $54,670 | $36,500 | $86,900 | 500 | 3.87 | 0.47 |
| Walla Walla, WA | $23.45 | $48,770 | $36,400 | $52,620 | 60 | 2.44 | 0.29 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $22.83 | $47,490 | $38,990 | $68,040 | 17,030 | 8.16 | 0.99 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $22.51 | $46,820 | $38,360 | $60,020 | 9,110 | 7.54 | 0.91 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $22.16 | $46,090 | $36,120 | $64,070 | 220 | 4.26 | 0.52 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $21.90 | $45,540 | $38,160 | $62,600 | 590 | 6.30 | 0.76 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $21.81 | $45,370 | $35,830 | $79,810 | 140 | 3.30 | 0.40 |
| Bellingham, WA | $21.30 | $44,310 | $36,180 | $60,680 | 380 | 4.16 | 0.50 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $21.12 | $43,920 | $36,340 | $67,900 | 840 | 6.48 | 0.79 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $19.86 | $41,310 | $36,890 | $60,580 | 2,270 | 8.88 | 1.08 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $19.65 | $40,860 | $37,210 | $63,890 | 190 | 3.73 | 0.45 |
| Yakima, WA | $18.00 | $37,440 | $36,120 | $61,350 | 400 | 4.14 | 0.50 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | $17.62 | $36,650 | $31,860 | $50,350 | 80 | 2.73 | 0.33 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $21.84 | $45,420 | $37,240 | $125,840 | 1,020 | 7.86 | 0.95 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $21.37 | $44,450 | $35,540 | $62,630 | 240 | 2.24 | 0.27 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Security Guards (every state ranked) and the Washington wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Washington estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.