Security Guards salary in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area earns $37,280 a year ($17.92 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn between $35,960 and $44,940 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,430 or less and the top 10 percent earn $56,120 or more. BLS estimates 22,010 Security Guards jobs in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA area — 12.821 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.55 (well above the national concentration). That is 1.7% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is the #12 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn about $0.93 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,820.40 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Security Guards is about $0.77 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA stands #16 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #11 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $37,280 falls between the national 25th percentile ($35,210) and the national median ($38,020). Across all occupations, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median is $48,400 a year — Security Guards pay is 23.0% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.24 | $42,090 |
| 10th percentile | $17.04 | $35,430 |
| 25th percentile | $17.29 | $35,960 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.92 | $37,280 |
| 75th percentile | $21.61 | $44,940 |
| 90th percentile | $26.98 | $56,120 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($56,120 against $35,430). The middle half spans $8,980 — from $35,960 to $44,940. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($26.98) is 1.58 times the 10th ($17.04). In the upper half of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $44,940 takes home $36,959.30 and the 90th percentile wage of $56,120 takes home $45,202.60 — $8,243.30 more net for $11,180 more gross. Against the median take-home of $31,210.30, the top decile keeps 1.45 times as much. The mean wage of $42,090 sits 12.9% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, Security Guards ranks #26 by median pay. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners at $40,860 and Retail Salespersons at $36,720. Security Guards accounts for 1.3% of all employment in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA employs 0.8 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $37,280.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,293.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,311.36 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $540.56 |
| California income tax | $439.50 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $484.64 |
| Total deductions | $6,069.70 |
| Net pay (annual) | $31,210.30 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,200.40 |
| Total deduction rate | 16.28% of gross |
At the median, $31,210.30 of the $37,280 gross is kept ($1,200.40 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 16.28%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 15.83% at the 10th percentile, 15.96% at the 25th percentile, 17.76% at the 75th percentile, 19.45% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $6,739.32 on a gross rise of $8,980.
The same engine at the other published points of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,430) | $29,821.80 | $1,146.99 | 15.83% |
| 25th percentile ($35,960) | $30,219.98 | $1,162.31 | 15.96% |
| Median ($37,280) | $31,210.30 | $1,200.40 | 16.28% |
| 75th percentile ($44,940) | $36,959.30 | $1,421.51 | 17.76% |
| 90th percentile ($56,120) | $45,202.60 | $1,738.56 | 19.45% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,821.80 a year at the 10th percentile to $45,202.60 at the 90th — a spread of $15,380.80 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median wage of $48,400 takes home $39,555.84 a year ($1,521.38 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.27%). The Security Guards median take-home of $31,210.30 sits $8,345.54 (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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $37,280 is $740 (1.9%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $42,090 a year in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $380 (0.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $56,120 is 47% of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($119,360), and its 10th percentile of $35,430 is 102% of the area-wide 10th ($34,850).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $37,280 | $17.92 | $42,090 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
$37,280 a year ($17.92 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $42,090 a year. Ranked by median pay, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA stands #16 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $37,280 in California?
About $31,210.30 a year ($1,200.40 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 16.28% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $44,940, take-home is $36,959.30.
How does pay in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median of $37,280 is $740 (1.9%) below the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $56,120, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
$56,120 a year or more ($26.98 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
On $56,120 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $45,202.60 a year ($1,738.56 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.45%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
BLS estimates 22,010 Security Guards jobs in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area — 12.821 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
The location quotient is 1.55 — 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
From $29,821.80 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,430) to $45,202.60 at the 90th ($56,120), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
About $0.93 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 22,010 multiplied by the mean wage of $42,090.
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.