Security guard pay in Knoxville, TN at a glance
Median salary
$35,810$17.22 per hour · $2,984 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Security guard salary in Knoxville, TN after taxes
Security guards pay range in Knoxville, TN, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Knoxville, TN metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (TN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $14.14/hr | $2,452 | $29,420 | $25,819 |
| 25th percentile | $14.52/hr | $2,517 | $30,200 | $26,446 |
| MedianMedian | $17.22/hr | $2,984 | $35,810 | $30,953 |
| 75th percentile | $20.90/hr | $3,623 | $43,470 | $37,108 |
| 90th percentile | $27.41/hr | $4,751 | $57,010 | $47,988 |
Is $35,810 a good salary in Knoxville, TN?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for security guards next to both.
Security guards pay in Tennessee and across the U.S.
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Security guard pay in Knoxville, TN: common questions
What is the median salary for security guards in Knoxville, TN?
The BLS median annual wage for security guards in the Knoxville, TN metro area was $35,810 in May 2025, about $2,984 a month or $17.22 an hour. Statewide, the Tennessee median for this job is $36,000, so the metro pays 1% below the state.
What is the hourly pay for security guards in Knoxville, TN?
The median hourly wage for security guards in Knoxville, TN was $17.22 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $14.14 an hour and one in ten earned more than $27.41.
How many security guards work in Knoxville, TN?
BLS estimated 2,860 jobs for security guards in the metro in May 2025, or 6.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.82 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for security guards in Knoxville, TN?
BLS wage estimates for security guards in Knoxville, TN run from $29,420 at the 10th percentile to $30,200 at the 25th, $43,470 at the 75th, and $57,010 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do security guards take home after taxes in Knoxville, TN?
On a median gross salary of $35,810, an estimated $30,953 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,191 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Tennessee in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,857 (an effective rate of 13.6%).
How much do security guards make per month in Knoxville, TN?
On the median annual salary of $35,810, gross monthly income is $2,984. After federal, FICA, and Tennessee state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,579 per month (or $1,191 every two weeks).
Is $35,810 a good salary in Knoxville, TN?
At $35,810, the median salary for security guards is 49.4% of the Knoxville, TN median household income ($72,422). It is 24% below the $47,080 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 92.6, so prices here run 7.4% below the U.S. average.