Security Guard Staffing Cost Calculator
Estimate the total cost of staffing security guards for your facility, including wages, benefits, training, equipment, and administrative overhead.
Formulas Used
1. Regular Wages per Guard:
Regular Hours/Year = Hours/Week × Weeks/Year
Regular Wages = Regular Hours/Year × Hourly Wage
2. Overtime Wages per Guard (FLSA 1.5x rule):
Overtime Hours/Year = Regular Hours/Year × (Overtime % ÷ 100)
Overtime Wages = Overtime Hours/Year × Hourly Wage × 1.5
3. Total Wages per Guard:
Total Wages = Regular Wages + Overtime Wages
4. Benefits Cost per Guard:
Benefits = Total Wages × (Benefits Rate % ÷ 100)
5. Total Labor Cost (all guards):
Labor Cost = (Total Wages + Benefits) × Number of Guards
6. Administrative Overhead:
Admin Overhead = Total Labor Cost × (Admin % ÷ 100)
7. Turnover & Recruitment Cost:
Annual Hires = Number of Guards × (Turnover Rate % ÷ 100)
Turnover Cost = Annual Hires × Recruitment Cost per Hire
8. Grand Total Annual Staffing Cost:
Grand Total = Total Labor Cost + (Training × Guards) + (Equipment × Guards) + Admin Overhead + Turnover Cost
9. Effective Cost per Hour:
Cost/Hour = Grand Total ÷ (Number of Guards × Total Hours per Guard per Year)
Assumptions & References
- Overtime is calculated at 1.5× the regular hourly rate per the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for hours exceeding 40/week. Adjust the overtime percentage to reflect your actual overtime exposure.
- Benefits typically include payroll taxes (FICA ~7.65%), workers' compensation, health insurance, paid time off, and retirement contributions. Industry average benefits rate for security guards is 20–35% of base wages (BLS, 2023).
- The administrative overhead rate covers supervision, scheduling software, HR, compliance, and management time. Typical range: 10–20%.
- The U.S. security guard industry has an average annual turnover rate of 100–300% (ASIS International). A 30% rate is conservative for in-house teams; contract agencies may be higher.
- Recruitment and onboarding costs include job posting fees, background checks, drug screening, licensing fees, and initial uniform costs. Typical range: $800–$2,500 per hire.
- Training costs include initial licensing (state-mandated hours vary: 8–40+ hours), annual refresher training, first aid/CPR certification, and site-specific orientation.
- Equipment costs may include uniforms, radios, flashlights, body cameras, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
- This calculator estimates fully-loaded costs for in-house security staff. Contract security agency rates typically include a markup of 40–60% over guard wages to cover their overhead and profit.
- Reference: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics for Security Guards (SOC 33-9032); ASIS International Security Industry Benchmarking Survey.