California · 2026 pay · 332 people
How much does a security guard make in California?
$44,768typical pay for a security guard in 2026
$19,254 – $60,090what most people earned
Includes everyone paid during 2026, including part-year workers. Each employer counts with its latest published year (2025 or 2026). Typical pay rose 36.1% from the same employers' year before.
✓ Official data from 6 agencies · Matches each agency's latest release · Show sourcesHide sources
- California State Controller's Office · sco.ca.gov ↗
- SF Controller's Office · sf.gov ↗
- California State Controller's Office · sco.ca.gov ↗
- California State Controller's Office · sco.ca.gov ↗
- California State Controller's Office · sco.ca.gov ↗
- California State Controller's Office · sco.ca.gov ↗
Where security guards work
Typical pay at each employer, 2026 (everyone paid).
- San Francisco103 people$27,634
- University of California, Los Angeles77 people$55,641
- Department of Veterans Affairs55 people$42,817
- San Benito Health Care District18 people$13,410
- University of California, Davis16 people$59,248
- Merced Community College District12 people$21,848
- Department of Education9 people$52,089
- Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District9 people$50,489
- University of California, Merced9 people$55,240
- Southern Mono Health Care District7 people$59,326
- Bear Valley Community Healthcare District5 people$42,586
- University of California, Riverside4 people$50,773
- City of Burbank3 people$105,463
- City of Santa Maria2 people$40,427
- Imperial Irrigation District1 person$53,618
- City of Moreno Valley1 person$60,754
- Department of Forestry & Fire Protection1 person$140
No employers match.
Related jobs and the next step up
Same line of work at a different rank, by typical pay (full-year employees where we can tell).
- Security Guard (this page)$44,768 (everyone)
- Lead Security Guard$55,828 (everyone)
- Security Guard Senior$64,274 (everyone)
Highest-paid security guards, 2026
- 1Mohamed MohamedSecurity Guard · San Francisco$192,032
- 2Jasvir SinghSecurity Guard · San Francisco$146,970
- 3Alexander ClementeSecurity Guard · San Francisco$125,660
- 4Muhammed DadabhoaiSecurity Guard · San Francisco$122,572
- 5Derrick CampbellSecurity Guard · San Francisco$121,013
Common questions
How much does a security guard make in California?
The typical security guard was paid $44,768 in 2026; most earned between $19,254 and $60,090. This counts all 332 people paid, including part-year workers.
How much of the pay is overtime?
Overtime made up 8.9% of all pay for security guards in 2026.
Which job titles are included?
Everyone whose payroll title is Security Guard, at any level (for example "Security Guard"). Part-time-schedule titles (such as "20 hours") are left out. Senior, supervising and trainee titles have their own pages.
Job titles are written out in full from the payroll's abbreviations (for example "SR CRRECTNL POLC OFCR" → "Senior Correctional Police Officer"). "Typical pay" is the median; "most earned" is the middle half. How we calculate this