Security Guards salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Texas tax rules.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area earns $36,680 a year ($17.63 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn between $29,920 and $45,290 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $28,270 or less and the top 10 percent earn $52,000 or more. BLS estimates 34,000 Security Guards jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area — 8.396 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.02 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 2.6% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX is the #6 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn about $1.37 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,448.32 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Security Guards is about $1.17 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX stands #19 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #24 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $36,680 falls between the national 25th percentile ($35,210) and the national median ($38,020). Across all occupations, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median is $51,440 a year — Security Guards pay is 28.7% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $19.31 | $40,160 |
| 10th percentile | $13.59 | $28,270 |
| 25th percentile | $14.39 | $29,920 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.63 | $36,680 |
| 75th percentile | $21.77 | $45,290 |
| 90th percentile | $25.00 | $52,000 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX earn 1.8 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($52,000 against $28,270). The middle half spans $15,370 — from $29,920 to $45,290. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($25.00) is 1.84 times the 10th ($13.59). In the upper half of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $45,290 takes home $38,570.56 and the 90th percentile wage of $52,000 takes home $43,962.10 — $5,391.54 more net for $6,710 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,652.12, the top decile keeps 1.39 times as much. The mean wage of $40,160 sits 9.5% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Among the 30 covered occupations in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Security Guards ranks #23 by median pay. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Stockers and Order Fillers at $37,590 and Cooks, Restaurant at $36,490. Security Guards accounts for 0.8% of all employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX employs 1.2 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Texas
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Texas; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $36,680.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,221.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,274.16 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $531.86 |
| Texas income tax | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | $5,027.88 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,652.12 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,217.39 |
| Total deduction rate | 13.71% of gross |
At the median, $31,652.12 of the $36,680 gross is kept ($1,217.39 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 13.71%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 11.96% at the 10th percentile, 12.36% at the 25th percentile, 14.84% at the 75th percentile, 15.46% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $12,350.10 on a gross rise of $15,370.
The same engine at the other published points of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($28,270) | $24,890.26 | $957.32 | 11.96% |
| 25th percentile ($29,920) | $26,220.46 | $1,008.48 | 12.36% |
| Median ($36,680) | $31,652.12 | $1,217.39 | 13.71% |
| 75th percentile ($45,290) | $38,570.56 | $1,483.48 | 14.84% |
| 90th percentile ($52,000) | $43,962.10 | $1,690.85 | 15.46% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $24,890.26 a year at the 10th percentile to $43,962.10 at the 90th — a spread of $19,071.84 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median wage of $51,440 takes home $43,512.08 a year ($1,673.54 per paycheck, deduction rate 15.41%). The Security Guards median take-home of $31,652.12 sits $11,859.96 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Security Guards earns $38,020 a year ($18.28 an hour). The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $36,680 is $1,340 (3.5%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $40,160 a year in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $2,310 (5.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $52,000 is 39% of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX all-occupations 90th percentile ($132,080), and its 10th percentile of $28,270 is 98% of the area-wide 10th ($28,850).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $36,680 | $17.63 | $40,160 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
$36,680 a year ($17.63 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $40,160 a year. Ranked by median pay, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX stands #19 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $36,680 in Texas?
About $31,652.12 a year ($1,217.39 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 13.71% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $45,290, take-home is $38,570.56.
How does pay in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median of $36,680 is $1,340 (3.5%) below the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $52,000, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
$52,000 a year or more ($25.00 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Security Guards in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
On $52,000 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $43,962.10 a year ($1,690.85 per biweekly paycheck) in Texas under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 15.46%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
BLS estimates 34,000 Security Guards jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area — 8.396 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
The location quotient is 1.02 — about the same concentration as the nation. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Security Guards in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
From $24,890.26 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($28,270) to $43,962.10 at the 90th ($52,000), under the same single-filer assumptions in Texas.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
About $1.37 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 34,000 multiplied by the mean wage of $40,160.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.