Security Guards

What Security Guards Do

Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

0.5%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.7/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.5/5
• English Languageimportance 4.3/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 4.1/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 4.0/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.8/5
• Telecommunicationsimportance 3.8/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Health and Safety of Other Workers5.0/5
• Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.9/5
• Contact With Others4.9/5
• Telephone Conversations4.6/5
• Freedom to Make Decisions4.4/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5

Related Careers

• First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers
• Transit and Railroad Police
• Transportation Security Screeners
• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
• Parking Enforcement Workers
• Public Safety Telecommunicators
• Protective Service Workers, All Other
• Correctional Officers and Jailers

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Psychiatric Aides96% skill match
• Passenger Attendants96% skill match
• Cooks, Fast Food96% skill match
• Flight Attendants95% skill match
• Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys95% skill match
• Driver/Sales Workers95% skill match
• Animal Control Workers95% skill match
• Cutters and Trimmers, Hand95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
• Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
• Service Orientationimportance 2.9/5
• Negotiationimportance 2.6/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
• Time Managementimportance 2.5/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Integrity
• Cautiousness
• Self-Control
• Stress Tolerance
• Perseverance
• Attention to Detail

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• RealisticHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• EnterprisingLow
• SocialLow
• InvestigativeLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where security guards make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR3.93× national avg
2. 2Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV2.54× national avg
3. 3Charleston, WV2.52× national avg
4. 4Urban Honolulu, HI2.29× national avg
5. 5Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ2.06× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersAdvancement
• Transit and Railroad PoliceAdvancement
• Correctional Officers and JailersLateral Move
• Flight AttendantsCareer Change

See the full career path from Security Guards →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.