Security Guards in Oregon
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$35,308
after federal, FICA and Oregon tax
Tax takes
$10,192
22.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$33,716
Oregon costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Oregon — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$45,500
Kept after tax
$35,308
Worth in national money
$33,716
State rank
5
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Oregon pays security guards a middle wage of $45,500, ranking 5 of 51 states and sitting about 19.67% above the national middle.
- Within Oregon this is lower-paid work. Of 489 occupations the state publishes figures for, security guards ranks 414. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $45,500 the take-home is $35,308. But Oregon costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $33,716 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $46,420, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Oregon's median for security guards is $45,500, about 19.67% above the national figure and 5 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Against every occupation Oregon reports, security guards ranks 414 of 489, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Oregon income tax is $35,308 for security guards, from $45,500. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $33,716. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $46,420 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Security Guards
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,500 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $45,500 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,510 |
| This salary | $45,500 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Oregon | $35,308 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,739 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,149 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $41,230 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$7,437 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 105 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of security guards in Oregon earn under $45,500 and half over. The published range runs $36,500 at the tenth percentile to $58,510 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Oregon the take-home figure of $35,308, from $45,500, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 414 of 489 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Oregon, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $33,716, the adjusted value of that $45,500 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 414 of 489 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for security guards in Oregon, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $36,500 to $58,510; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Oregon is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $35,308 from $45,500. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 414 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Oregon, so $33,716 — the adjusted value of that $45,500 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 414 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $36,500 and the top tenth $58,510, so most people doing this work in Oregon sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $33,716 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Oregon then takes its own share, leaving $35,308.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,500 to $58,510) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Oregon rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Oregon's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $33,716 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $35,308 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Oregon income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.