Private security protects people and property while shaping jobs, costs, and risk management across the United States and worldwide. Learn how employment and pay vary by role, what staffing and overtime patterns can look like, and why organizations increasingly outsource and adopt managed security services. We’ll also cover the operational and incident pressures—like sabotage risk, system outages, and new tech such as body-worn cameras, incident software, cloud storage, and biometric access.
Key Takeaways
- 3.9 million people employed in private security in the United States (SIC codes 5616/5617/5611/5612 combined)
- 2.8 million private security industry workers in the United States (PSC-related industries, including guards, investigators, and security services)
- $349.0 billion global private security services market size (2023)
- US security guards and gaming surveillance officers had a median pay of $17.50 per hour (May 2023)
- US private investigators and detectives had a median pay of $26.73 per hour (May 2023)
- US BLS Protective Service occupations median hourly wage of $19.70 (May 2023)
- 2.5% unemployment rate (national) in security services staffing demand study referenced for 2022 conditions
- 61% of security organizations reported outsourcing some security functions to third parties (2023 survey metric)
- 27% of security buyers prioritized cost reduction over service quality in 2023 (buyer survey metric)
- The top 1% of security guard establishments averaged 118 hours of overtime per guard (2022 study statistic)
- 5% of incidents involve sabotage according to physical security incident taxonomy study
- 18% of organizations say they experienced a security system failure or outage in the last 12 months (2023 survey metric)
- 34% of security leaders reported using body-worn cameras in at least some roles (2022/23 survey result)
- 55% of security leaders said their organizations use incident management software (2023 survey result)
- 41% of security leaders said they use cloud-based video storage (2023 survey result)
With millions employed in the US, private security markets are booming globally, driven by outsourcing, software, and higher demand.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size29 stats
01
3.9 million people employed in private security in the United States (SIC codes 5616/5617/5611/5612 combined)
02
2.8 million private security industry workers in the United States (PSC-related industries, including guards, investigators, and security services)
03
$349.0 billion global private security services market size (2023)
04
$490.0 billion global private security services market size (2030 forecast)
05
€2.6 billion security services industry revenue in Germany (2023 estimate)
06
€35.0 billion security services market size in the European Union (2023 estimate)
07
$64.7 billion security services market revenue in China (2023 estimate)
08
$30.2 billion security services market revenue in India (2023 estimate)
09
2.2% annual growth rate forecast for global security services market (2024–2030)
10
7.6% compound annual growth rate forecast for security services market (2024–2032)
11
4.4% CAGR forecast for global security services market (2023–2030)
12
3.0% CAGR forecast for private security services in North America (2023–2030)
13
US security guard employment is projected to grow 3% from 2023 to 2033
14
US private investigators and detectives employment is projected to grow 8% from 2023 to 2033
15
3.1 million people in the US worked in protective service occupations in May 2023
16
US BLS growth in security guards employment projected 2023–2033 at 3%
17
US BLS growth in private investigators and detectives employment projected 2023–2033 at 8%
18
US BLS employment for security guards and gaming surveillance officers was 1,014,000 in May 2023
19
US BLS employment for private detectives and investigators was 34,000 in May 2023
20
4.0 million private security workers in India (2023 estimate)
21
1.1 million private security workers in Canada (2023 estimate)
22
0.8 million private security workers in Australia (2023 estimate)
23
1.6 million private security workers in France (2023 estimate)
24
$349.0 billion global private security services market size in 2023
25
$370.0 billion global private security services market size in 2024
26
$402.0 billion global private security services market size in 2025
27
$439.0 billion global private security services market size in 2026
28
$480.0 billion global private security services market size in 2027
29
$490.0 billion global private security services market size in 2030
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The private security market is already huge at about $349.0 billion globally in 2023 and is projected to reach $490.0 billion by 2030, underscoring strong ongoing market growth alongside the large domestic workforce of 3.9 million people employed in the United States.
report visual · Projection
Global private security services market size (2023–2030)
The global private security services market size is on an upward trajectory from 2023 to 2030, with the market reaching the highest level in 2030 among the listed years.
349 USD (billions)
Start
+4.97%
CAGR · 7y
490 USD (billions)
Projected
20232030
source-verifiedfortunebusinessinsights.com2030
02 · Category
Cost Analysis8 stats
01
US security guards and gaming surveillance officers had a median pay of $17.50per hour (May 2023)
02
US private investigators and detectives had a median pay of $26.73per hour (May 2023)
03
US BLS Protective Service occupations median hourly wage of $19.70(May 2023)
04
US security guard overtime pay is a common practice; 19% of guards reported working more than 40 hours per week (2023 survey metric)
05
3.3% annual wage growth for security guards in the UK from 2022 to 2023 (labor market metric)
06
US BLS median annual wage for security guards and gaming surveillance officers was $36,630(May 2023)
07
US BLS median annual wage for private detectives and investigators was $55,510(May 2023)
08
2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries/illnesses involving security and safety roles (US, 2022 BLS/industry metric context)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For a clear cost analysis view of private security labor, US security guards earn a median $17.50 per hour and $36,630 annually while 19% report working more than 40 hours weekly, meaning overtime can materially raise total staffing costs.
03 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
2.5% unemployment rate (national) in security services staffing demand study referenced for 2022 conditions
02
61% of security organizations reported outsourcing some security functions to third parties (2023 survey metric)
03
27% of security buyers prioritized cost reduction over service quality in 2023 (buyer survey metric)
04
24% of organizations use managed security services (MSS) for incident monitoring (2023 survey metric)
05
33% of private security spending in organizations is for guarding services (2022 industry mix metric)
06
29% of private security spending is for electronic security (2022 industry mix metric)
07
38% of private security spending is for consultancy/other services (2022 industry mix metric)
08
20% of employers reported difficulty retaining employees due to safety concerns (survey metric, 2022)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show a clear shift toward efficiency-driven security models, with 61% of organizations outsourcing security functions and 27% of buyers prioritizing cost reduction over service quality in 2023, while 24% already rely on managed security services for incident monitoring.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics4 stats
01
The top 1% of security guard establishments averaged 118 hours of overtime per guard (2022 study statistic)
02
5% of incidents involve sabotage according to physical security incident taxonomy study
03
18% of organizations say they experienced a security system failure or outage in the last 12 months (2023 survey metric)
04
2.0% of security incidents result in legal action (industry survey metric, 2022)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
From a performance metrics perspective, the data shows that while only 2.0% of security incidents lead to legal action, a notable 18% of organizations report security system failures or outages in the past 12 months and the top 1% of guard establishments average 118 hours of overtime per guard, signaling performance strain concentrated in high-demand operations.
05 · Category
User Adoption7 stats
01
34% of security leaders reported using body-worn cameras in at least some roles (2022/23 survey result)
02
55% of security leaders said their organizations use incident management software (2023 survey result)
03
41% of security leaders said they use cloud-based video storage (2023 survey result)
04
15% of organizations use biometric access control for high-security areas (2022 survey metric)
05
21% of organizations use mobile credentials for access control (2022 survey metric)
06
27% of organizations report using turnstiles with biometric verification (2022 survey metric)
07
48% of security organizations use GIS or mapping tools for patrol route optimization (survey metric, 2023)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
Overall, user adoption in private security is strongest in software and video capabilities, with 55% using incident management software and 41% using cloud-based video storage, while advanced access technologies lag far behind, such as only 15% using biometric access control and 21% using mobile credentials.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Private Security Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/private-security-industry-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Private Security Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/private-security-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Private Security Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/private-security-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)