Free tool
Security guard cost calculator
Security guard cost per hour and per month for California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon, built on BLS wage data with the math shown.
Short answer
A security guard earns a median $18.28 an hour nationally (BLS, May 2025): $20.79 in California, $18.41 in Arizona, $17.94 in Nevada, $21.88 in Oregon. If a guard company bills 1.5× to 2× that wage, one 24/7 post (730 hours a month) costs about $19,600 to $31,900 a month.
Estimate your guard cost
Pick an area, coverage hours and markup. Every output is an estimate; real invoices add overtime, holiday premiums and contract minimums.
Estimate
California · 730 guard-hours per month
| Line | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Guard wages$20.79/h | $15,177 | $182,120 |
| Estimated bill to you$36.38/h at 1.75× | $26,559 | $318,711 |
| What the guard company keeps (estimate)Bill minus wages, before its taxes, insurance and overhead | $11,383 | $136,590 |
At the 1.5×–2.0× range: $22,765–$30,353 per month.
The math
- Hours: 168 h/week × 4.345 weeks/month × 1 post = 730 h/month
- Wages: $20.79/h × 730 h = $15,177/month
- Bill rate: $20.79 × 1.75 = $36.38/h → $26,559/month
- Guard company keeps: $26,559 − $15,177 = $11,383/month
- Per year: per month × 12
Excludes overtime, holiday premiums and shift differentials, which push real invoices higher.
Compare: VuePoint
VuePoint's published price: under $1,000 per unit per month. Request a quote for monitored coverage. The exact quote depends on the site.
Source data
Security guard wages by state and metro (May 2025)
Hourly wages for Security Guards (SOC 33-9032), from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. These are what guards are paid, not what guard companies charge.
| Area | Median $/h | Mean $/h | 24/7 post at 1.5×–2× median, per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (national) | $18.28 | $20.42 | $20,017–$26,689 |
| California | $20.79 | $21.60 | $22,765–$30,353 |
| Arizona | $18.41 | $19.69 | $20,159–$26,879 |
| Nevada | $17.94 | $19.12 | $19,644–$26,192 |
| Oregon | $21.88 | $22.32 | $23,959–$31,945 |
| Las Vegas, NV metro (MSA 29820) | $17.89 | $18.92 | $19,590–$26,119 |
| Phoenix, AZ metro (MSA 38060) | $18.41 | $19.99 | $20,159–$26,879 |
| Los Angeles, CA metro (MSA 31080) | $19.25 | $21.10 | $21,079–$28,105 |
| San Francisco-Oakland, CA metro (MSA 41860) | $21.99 | $24.17 | $24,079–$32,105 |
| Sacramento, CA metro (MSA 40900) | $18.97 | $20.75 | $20,772–$27,696 |
| Portland, OR-WA metro (MSA 38900) | $22.51 | $23.06 | $24,648–$32,865 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 estimates, SOC 33-9032. Retrieved 2026-10-19. Each area links to its BLS data series. The last column is our calculation, not a BLS figure.
Methodology
How the calculator works
- Hours. Hours per week × 4.345 weeks per month (365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12). 24/7 = 168 h/week = 730 h/month. Nights only = 14 h × 7 = 98 h/week. Nights + weekends = every hour except weekdays 7am–5pm = 118 h/week.
- Wages. BLS OEWS median or mean hourly wage for the area you pick. OEWS wages are straight-time pay. They exclude overtime, shift differentials and employer-paid benefits, so a 24/7 post staffed with overtime costs more.
- Bill rate. Wage × markup. The markup covers employer payroll taxes, workers' comp, liability insurance, licensing, supervision, overhead and profit. Our default range of 1.5×–2.0× is a working assumption, not a published statistic. As a cross-check, Mobile Video Guard (April 2026, vendor estimate) puts unarmed guard bill rates at $25–$40 an hour and a 24/7 post at $18,000–$25,000+ a month.
- What the guard company keeps. Bill minus wages. It is the company's gross margin on labor, before its own taxes, insurance and overhead. It is not net profit.
- Not included. Armed guards, patrol vehicles, holiday premiums, contract minimums and sales tax. Ask your guard company for its bill rate and plug it in by adjusting the wage and markup.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Security Guards (33-9032): bls.gov/oes. Area figures retrieved 2026-10-19 from the BLS Public Data API; series links are in the table above.
- Mobile Video Guard, guard cost estimate, April 2026. Vendor estimate, used only as a cross-check.
FAQ
Security guard cost questions
How much does a security guard cost per hour?
Two numbers matter. The guard's wage: BLS puts the May 2025 median at $18.28 nationally, $20.79 in California, $18.41 in Arizona, $17.94 in Nevada and $21.88 in Oregon. And the bill rate you pay the guard company, which sits above the wage. Mobile Video Guard (April 2026) estimates unarmed bill rates at $25–$40 an hour.
How much does a 24/7 security guard cost per month?
A 24/7 post is 730 hours a month (168 hours a week × 4.345 weeks). At a $25–$40 bill rate that is $18,250–$29,200 a month for one post, before overtime and holiday premiums.
How many guards does one 24/7 post need?
730 hours a month divided by a 40-hour week (about 173 hours a month) is roughly 4.2 full-time guards for a single post, before covering vacation, sick days and turnover.
Why is the bill rate so much higher than the guard's wage?
The guard company pays employer payroll taxes, workers' compensation, liability insurance, licensing, training, supervision and scheduling out of the difference, then keeps the rest as profit. The calculator's "what the guard company keeps" line is that whole difference, not pure profit.
What does VuePoint cost?
VuePoint's published price: under $1,000 per unit per month. The exact quote depends on the site, so request a quote for monitored coverage.
Price monitored coverage for your site
VuePoint's published price: under $1,000 per unit per month. Request a quote for monitored coverage; the exact figure depends on the site.