Security Guards salary in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 New York tax rules.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earns $43,980 a year ($21.15 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn between $36,940 and $51,530 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,360 or less and the top 10 percent earn $60,720 or more. BLS estimates 142,760 Security Guards jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area — 15.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.82 (well above the national concentration). That is 11.1% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is the #1 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn about $6.59 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $37,159.34 a year, so the aggregate take-home of New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Security Guards is about $5.30 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands #7 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #8 largest of the 30 covered occupations in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $43,980 falls between the national median ($38,020) and the national 75th percentile ($46,200). Across all occupations, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median is $61,430 a year — Security Guards pay is 28.4% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $22.18 | $46,140 |
| 10th percentile | $17.00 | $35,360 |
| 25th percentile | $17.76 | $36,940 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $21.15 | $43,980 |
| 75th percentile | $24.77 | $51,530 |
| 90th percentile | $29.19 | $60,720 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ earn 1.7 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($60,720 against $35,360). The middle half spans $14,590 — from $36,940 to $51,530. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($29.19) is 1.72 times the 10th ($17.00). In the upper half of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $51,530 takes home $41,176.28 and the 90th percentile wage of $60,720 takes home $48,024.46 — $6,848.18 more net for $9,190 more gross. Against the median take-home of $35,549.76, the top decile keeps 1.35 times as much. The mean wage of $46,140 sits 4.9% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Among the 30 covered occupations in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, Security Guards ranks #21 by median pay. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Waiters and Waitresses at $47,610 and Cooks, Restaurant at $43,740. Security Guards accounts for 1.5% of all employment in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ employs 5.0 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in New York
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in New York; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $43,980.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,097.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,726.76 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $637.71 |
| New York income tax | $1,777.92 |
| New York Paid Family Leave (employee contribution) | $189.99 |
| Total deductions | $8,430.24 |
| Net pay (annual) | $35,549.76 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,367.30 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.17% of gross |
At the median, $35,549.76 of the $43,980 gross is kept ($1,367.30 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.17%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.63% at the 10th percentile, 17.96% at the 25th percentile, 20.09% at the 75th percentile, 20.91% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $10,872.52 on a gross rise of $14,590.
The same engine at the other published points of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,360) | $29,126.50 | $1,120.25 | 17.63% |
| 25th percentile ($36,940) | $30,303.76 | $1,165.53 | 17.96% |
| Median ($43,980) | $35,549.76 | $1,367.30 | 19.17% |
| 75th percentile ($51,530) | $41,176.28 | $1,583.70 | 20.09% |
| 90th percentile ($60,720) | $48,024.46 | $1,847.09 | 20.91% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,126.50 a year at the 10th percentile to $48,024.46 at the 90th — a spread of $18,897.96 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median wage of $61,430 takes home $48,553.24 a year ($1,867.43 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.96%). The Security Guards median take-home of $35,549.76 sits $13,003.48 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ also covers parts of New Jersey. The take-home estimate above uses New York rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey paycheck calculator.
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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $43,980 is $5,960 (15.7%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $46,140 a year in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $3,670 (8.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $60,720 is 37% of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ all-occupations 90th percentile ($166,080), and its 10th percentile of $35,360 is 98% of the area-wide 10th ($36,130).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $43,980 | $21.15 | $46,140 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
$43,980 a year ($21.15 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $46,140 a year. Ranked by median pay, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands #7 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $43,980 in New York?
About $35,549.76 a year ($1,367.30 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.17% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $51,530, take-home is $41,176.28.
How does pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median of $43,980 is $5,960 (15.7%) above the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $60,720, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
$60,720 a year or more ($29.19 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
On $60,720 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $48,024.46 a year ($1,847.09 per biweekly paycheck) in New York under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 20.91%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
BLS estimates 142,760 Security Guards jobs in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area — 15.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
The location quotient is 1.82 — well above the national concentration. 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
From $29,126.50 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,360) to $48,024.46 at the 90th ($60,720), under the same single-filer assumptions in New York.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
About $6.59 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 142,760 multiplied by the mean wage of $46,140.
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.