Security guards and related occupations: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time security guards and related occupations in the UK earned a median £33,832 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £5,207 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 219th of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
One in ten full-time jobs paid under £23,794; one in ten paid over £44,793.
Median full-time pay: women £34,918 a year, men £33,638 a year.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 41.9 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
About 78% of the roughly 115,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 31.8% (from £25,678), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 158,600 people in this line of work, 18% of them in London.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,794 | £489.90 | £12.37 | £11,482* | £173.50* | £12.23 |
| 20th percentile | £26,571 | £541.10 | £12.78 | £20,330 | £381.40 | £12.66 |
| 25th percentile | £27,982 | £562.80 | £13.07 | £23,211 | £456.30 | £12.97 |
| 30th percentile | £28,894 | £579.80 | £13.32 | £25,087 | £494.40 | £13.16 |
| 40th percentile | £31,346 | £624.50 | £13.85 | £28,032 | £555.40 | £13.68 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £33,832 | £665.90 | £14.46 | £30,819 | £608.00 | £14.08 |
| 60th percentile | £36,151 | £706.20 | £15.42 | £33,820 | £660.60 | £14.93 |
| 70th percentile | £38,160 | £750.00 | £16.34 | £36,641 | £714.10 | £15.92 |
| 75th percentile | £39,194 | £779.10 | £17.03 | £37,905 | £741.20 | £16.50 |
| 80th percentile | £40,556 | £810.50 | £17.78 | £39,095 | £776.70 | £17.38 |
| 90th percentile | £44,793 | £908.40 | £19.61 | £43,472 | £863.50 | £19.25 |
| Mean | £33,880 | £683.80 | £15.32 | £29,546 | £579.70 | £15.23 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £25,678 | £517.60 | £10.85 | £24,675 | £480.40 | 102 |
| 2022 revised | £26,498 | £533.30 | £11.11 | £24,686 | £490.10 | 108 |
| 2023 revised | £28,769 | £574.60 | £12.42 | £26,568 | £526.70 | 120 |
| 2024 revised | £30,343 | £611.50 | £13.41 | £28,301 | £553.60 | 106 |
| 2025 provisional | £33,832 | £665.90 | £14.46 | £30,819 | £608.00 | 115 |
Security guards and related occupations by region
UK: 158,600 (± 15,400), April 2025 to March 2026. 4 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| London | 28,200* | ± 8,700 |
| South East | 24,400* | ± 6,200 |
| North West | 20,900* | ± 5,500 |
| Scotland | 15,500* | ± 4,500 |
| East of England | 12,900* | ± 4,900 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 10,900* | ± 3,900 |
| South West | 8,800* | ± 3,400 |
| Wales | 8,000* | ± 2,500 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What security guards and related occupations do
Security guards and related occupations protect merchandise, individuals, hotels, offices, factories, shops, public grounds and private estates from injury, theft or damage. (ONS SOC 2020, 9231)
Also covers: CCTV operator, court usher, door supervisor, enforcement officer, security guard, security officer, bank guard, beach inspector, body guard, branch officer, CCTV operative, civilian custodian, constable (non-statutory), court attendant, covid marshall, custody assistant, custody guard and door man (93 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Walks or rides near person requiring protection, watches for suspicious occurrences and defends guarded person from attack
- Monitors, patrols and deals with security difficulties in hotels, factories, offices and other premises, and public or private estates to prevent theft and unauthorised entry
- Checks persons and vehicles entering and leaving premises, establishes their credentials and arranges for escorts for visitors
- Provides entry security, checks tickets, manages queues, takes entry fees, and escorts people from the premises where necessary in a variety of public venues such as nightclubs, pubs and bars
- Receives duty sheet, time-clock and keys for premises to be visited, checks locks, doors, windows, etc. and reports any suspicious circumstances to security headquarters
- Calls in civil police and gives evidence in court where necessary
There are no formal academic entry requirements. For some vacancies a current and clean driving licence is required and entrants may have to pass a medical examination. Training is typically provided on-the-job. NVQs/SVQs covering various aspects of security guarding are available at level 2.
Related
Elementary security occupations (median £33,693) · School midday and crossing patrol occupations · Exam invigilators · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026