Security Guard
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Security Guard occupation series (code 0085): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, Security Guard counts 4,312 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount edged up from the prior period; pay averages $57,464, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- +0.8%
- Pay change
- -0.3%
- Avg tenure
- 11.3 yrs
- Rank in family
- #8 of 27
FedScope read on Security Guard (dense series)
Headcount moved up versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path. Pay moved down between the two reporting periods, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 00, the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, is where the federal government classifies Security Guard alongside 26 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Security Guard postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family. Security Guard makes up 4.7% of the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family's 92,278 combined employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (10th percentile) of pay among Miscellaneous Occupations Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Security Guard pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$57,464
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-51.0%
Where Security Guard ranks on lean federal pay
Security Guard earns more on average than 11% of federal occupation series (61 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Security Guard sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Security Guard.
Related Occupations in Miscellaneous Occupations Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security Administration | 15,507 | $125,293 | 15.4 yrs |
| Correctional Officer | 14,821 | n/a | 10.3 yrs |
| Police | 11,883 | n/a | 12.2 yrs |
| Emergency Management Specialist | 11,832 | $100,833 | 9.7 yrs |
| Fire Protection and Prevention | 8,848 | $74,762 | 14.6 yrs |
| Safety and Occupational Health Management | 5,704 | $117,177 | 16.3 yrs |
| Park Ranger | 5,202 | $75,210 | 10.6 yrs |
| Environmental Protection Specialist | 4,157 | $127,481 | 15.2 yrs |
| Security Clerical and Assistance | 3,340 | $65,477 | 12.7 yrs |
| Correctional Institution Administration | 1,677 | $122,358 | 19.4 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Security Guard outside the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (4,312 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($57,464 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Security Guard pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Security Guard postings on USAJOBS.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.