Security Guards salary in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Security Guards in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Washington tax rules.
The figures
The median Security Guards in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area earns $47,490 a year ($22.83 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Security Guards in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn between $44,460 and $57,990 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $38,990 or less and the top 10 percent earn $68,040 or more. BLS estimates 17,030 Security Guards jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area — 8.163 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.99 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 1.3% of all Security Guards employment in the United States (1,283,470 jobs nationally). By employment, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA is the #14 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Security Guards. In aggregate, Security Guards in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn about $0.88 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $43,181.66 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Security Guards is about $0.74 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #1 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Security Guards. By employment, Security Guards is the #22 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Placed against the national distribution for Security Guards, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $47,490 falls above the national 75th percentile of $46,200. Across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median is $72,610 a year — Security Guards pay is 34.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $24.71 | $51,400 |
| 10th percentile | $18.74 | $38,990 |
| 25th percentile | $21.37 | $44,460 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $22.83 | $47,490 |
| 75th percentile | $27.88 | $57,990 |
| 90th percentile | $32.71 | $68,040 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Security Guards in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA earn 1.7 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($68,040 against $38,990). The middle half spans $13,530 — from $44,460 to $57,990. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($32.71) is 1.75 times the 10th ($18.74). In the upper half of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $57,990 takes home $48,438.64 and the 90th percentile wage of $68,040 takes home $56,301.26 — $7,862.62 more net for $10,050 more gross. Against the median take-home of $40,062.84, the top decile keeps 1.41 times as much. The mean wage of $51,400 sits 8.2% above the median: higher-paid Security Guards pull the average up in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. Among the 30 covered occupations in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, Security Guards ranks #25 by median pay. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage ladder of covered occupations, Security Guards sits between Cooks, Restaurant at $47,730 and Stockers and Order Fillers at $46,830. Security Guards accounts for 0.8% of all employment in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,378 Security Guards; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA employs 0.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Washington
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Washington; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $47,490.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,518.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,944.38 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $688.60 |
| Washington income tax | $0.00 |
| WA Cares Fund (long-term care premium) | $275.44 |
| Total deductions | $7,427.16 |
| Net pay (annual) | $40,062.84 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,540.88 |
| Total deduction rate | 15.64% of gross |
At the median, $40,062.84 of the $47,490 gross is kept ($1,540.88 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 15.64%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 14.64% at the 10th percentile, 15.33% at the 25th percentile, 16.47% at the 75th percentile, 17.25% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $10,792.98 on a gross rise of $13,530.
The same engine at the other published points of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($38,990) | $33,282.22 | $1,280.09 | 14.64% |
| 25th percentile ($44,460) | $37,645.66 | $1,447.91 | 15.33% |
| Median ($47,490) | $40,062.84 | $1,540.88 | 15.64% |
| 75th percentile ($57,990) | $48,438.64 | $1,863.02 | 16.47% |
| 90th percentile ($68,040) | $56,301.26 | $2,165.43 | 17.25% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $33,282.22 a year at the 10th percentile to $56,301.26 at the 90th — a spread of $23,019.04 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median wage of $72,610 takes home $59,489.88 a year ($2,288.07 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.07%). The Security Guards median take-home of $40,062.84 sits $19,427.04 (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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $47,490 is $9,470 (24.9%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $51,400 a year in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA against $42,470 nationally, a gap of $8,930 (21.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Security Guards 90th percentile of $68,040 is 41% of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA all-occupations 90th percentile ($167,440), and its 10th percentile of $38,990 is 92% of the area-wide 10th ($42,280).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $47,490 | $22.83 | $51,400 |
| United States | $38,020 | $18.28 | $42,470 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Security Guards in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$47,490 a year ($22.83 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $51,400 a year. Ranked by median pay, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA stands #1 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $47,490 in Washington?
About $40,062.84 a year ($1,540.88 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 15.64% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $57,990, take-home is $48,438.64.
How does pay in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA compare with the national median for Security Guards?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median of $47,490 is $9,470 (24.9%) above the national median of $38,020 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $68,040, against a national 90th percentile of $58,840.
How much do the top 10% of Security Guards earn in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
$68,040 a year or more ($32.71 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
On $68,040 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $56,301.26 a year ($2,165.43 per biweekly paycheck) in Washington under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 17.25%.
How many Security Guards jobs are there in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
BLS estimates 17,030 Security Guards jobs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area — 8.163 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Security Guards jobs in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
The location quotient is 0.99 — 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
From $33,282.22 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($38,990) to $56,301.26 at the 90th ($68,040), under the same single-filer assumptions in Washington.
What is the total wage bill for Security Guards in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
About $0.88 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 17,030 multiplied by the mean wage of $51,400.
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.