A new study of New York City security guards paints a picture of workers wearing shiny uniforms who are facing financial insecurity due to low wages.
The study, by the UC Berkeley Labor Center, based on the annual U.S. Census American Community Survey, estimates that about 81,900 security guards work in New York City.
The study concludes that NYC security guards earn a median income of $40,311, less than 40% of the city’s Area Median Income, even though 84.7% of the guards work full-time and 88.7% work the full year.
On average, the guards earn a median hourly wage of $20.29, but the report finds that about half earn even less.
“Despite their evolving responsibilities, security guards in New York City experience low wages, high turnover, and limited access to benefits and training conditions that undermine both worker well-being and public safety,” according to the study.
About 89.5% of security guards live in New York City with its higher cost of living, while 80.1% earn less than the $32.85 hourly living wage for a single adult, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator.
Meanwhile, 37.8% have no health insurance through their employer or a household member’s employer.
A security guard’s duty is not without risk. For example, Aland Etienne was one of four people killed in a Midtown mass shooting back on July 28.
Etienne was a security guard on duty at 345 Park Ave. when the suspect shooter walked into the lobby and opened fire, killing him and P.O. Didarul Islam, who was working an off-duty security detail himself.
Because security guards play an important role in public safety at private institutions, some wonder why their average pay is so low.
“We rely on security officers to keep our city safe, but when so many of them are struggling to pay bills, it makes it harder for them to do their job,” said Burt Scipio, a security officer at Fordham University for more than 16 years who said that provides a stable, well-paying job.
Ethnic gaps in security guard wages
The study found that more than three-quarters of security guards or 77.3% are men, and 90.6% are workers of color — with Black workers accounting for half of guards; another 44.7% of guards were born abroad.
Nearly half have been educated beyond high school including post-secondary degrees and some college, according to the study.
The study found “racial and gender wage gaps” with Black security guards earning a median hourly wage of $19.06, while white security guards earn $30.22, more than $10 higher.
Latino and Asian American security guards earn median hourly wages of $21.47 and $21.04, respectively.
And female security guards earn less than their male counterparts, at $17.59, in a sign of a distinct gender gap.
“This is a public safety, economic, and racial justice issue,” said 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich, the labor union representing 90.000 New York City building service workers. “We can and must do better by New Yorkers who help keep our city safe.”
The security services sector in New York City had a turnover rate of 77% in 2024, compared to 69.3% before the pandemic in 2019, according to the study
Meanwhile, private sector turnover in New York City decreased from 65.0% in 2019 to 58.1% in 2024, “after a temporary spike during the pandemic.”
“Turnover in the New York City security industry has risen over time,” according to the study, “and is much higher than in the private sector as a whole.”
The survey used data from the U.S. American Community Survey from 2021–2023 to estimate demographics and wages, adjusting for inflation through December 2024 to present annual and hourly earnings for 2025.
“Is that how we treat brave New Yorkers who guard the most iconic buildings and stand ready to act when tragedy strikes?” Pastreich asked of the low wages.
