Security guard pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA at a glance
Median salary
$46,250$22.23 per hour · $3,854 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Security guard salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA after taxes
Security guards pay range in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (CA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.11/hr | $3,658 | $43,900 | $36,715 |
| 25th percentile | $21.75/hr | $3,769 | $45,230 | $37,730 |
| MedianMedian | $22.23/hr | $3,854 | $46,250 | $38,509 |
| 75th percentile | $26.19/hr | $4,540 | $54,480 | $44,646 |
| 90th percentile | $32.20/hr | $5,581 | $66,970 | $53,811 |
Is $46,250 a good salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA?
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 California and across the U.S.
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Security guard pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA: common questions
What is the median salary for security guards in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
The BLS median annual wage for security guards in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area was $46,250 in May 2025, about $3,854 a month or $22.23 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $43,240, so the metro pays 7% above the state.
What is the hourly pay for security guards in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
The median hourly wage for security guards in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA was $22.23 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $21.11 an hour and one in ten earned more than $32.20.
How many security guards work in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
BLS estimated 11,800 jobs for security guards in the metro in May 2025, or 10.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.26 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for security guards in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
BLS wage estimates for security guards in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA run from $43,900 at the 10th percentile to $45,230 at the 25th, $54,480 at the 75th, and $66,970 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do security guards take home after taxes in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
On a median gross salary of $46,250, an estimated $38,509 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,481 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,741 (an effective rate of 16.7%).
How much do security guards make per month in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
On the median annual salary of $46,250, gross monthly income is $3,854. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,209 per month (or $1,481 every two weeks).
Is $46,250 a good salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
At $46,250, the median salary for security guards is 28.5% of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA median household income ($162,111). It is 45% below the $84,050 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 110.4, so prices here run 10.4% above the U.S. average.