El Centro, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a security guard make in El Centro, CA?

In the El Centro, CA metropolitan area, security guards earned a median of $37,230 a year ($17.90 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 670 of these jobs there. That is 18% below the $45,140 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $34,320 and $55,380; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $31,622 in take-home pay.

Security guard pay in El Centro, CA at a glance

Median salary

$37,230$17.90 per hour · $3,103 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$34,320$16.50/hr
25th percentile$35,410$17.03/hr
75th percentile$43,030$20.69/hr
90th percentile$55,380$26.63/hr
Jobs in this metro670Location quotient 1.24 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here18% belowAll-jobs median $45,140
Against California14% belowStatewide median $43,240
Against the U.S.2% belowNational median $38,020

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Security guard salary in El Centro, CA after taxes

$37,230
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$37,230
Net 85%
Fed 6%
CA 1%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$31,622After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,635Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,216Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate15.1%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,288 / yr
California state income tax$472 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,848 / yr

Security guards pay range in El Centro, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the El Centro, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What security guards earned in the El Centro, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$16.50/hr$2,860$34,320$29,401
25th percentile$17.03/hr$2,951$35,410$30,233
MedianMedian$17.90/hr$3,103$37,230$31,622
75th percentile$20.69/hr$3,586$43,030$36,051
90th percentile$26.63/hr$4,615$55,380$45,316

Is $37,230 a good salary in El Centro, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for security guards next to both.

Median household income$57,681Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)95.24.8% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household64.5%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Security guard pay in El Centro, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for security guards in El Centro, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for security guards in the El Centro, CA metro area was $37,230 in May 2025, about $3,103 a month or $17.90 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $43,240, so the metro pays 14% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for security guards in El Centro, CA?

The median hourly wage for security guards in El Centro, CA was $17.90 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.50 an hour and one in ten earned more than $26.63.

How many security guards work in El Centro, CA?

BLS estimated 670 jobs for security guards in the metro in May 2025, or 10.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.24 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for security guards in El Centro, CA?

BLS wage estimates for security guards in El Centro, CA run from $34,320 at the 10th percentile to $35,410 at the 25th, $43,030 at the 75th, and $55,380 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do security guards take home after taxes in El Centro, CA?

On a median gross salary of $37,230, an estimated $31,622 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,216 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,608 (an effective rate of 15.1%).

How much do security guards make per month in El Centro, CA?

On the median annual salary of $37,230, gross monthly income is $3,103. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,635 per month (or $1,216 every two weeks).

Is $37,230 a good salary in El Centro, CA?

At $37,230, the median salary for security guards is 64.5% of the El Centro, CA median household income ($57,681). It is 18% below the $45,140 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 95.2, so prices here run 4.8% below the U.S. average.