SalaryExplorer

SOC 33-9032 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Security Guards — Kankakee

Kankakee, IL · 7 metro areas compared

$35,380 /year
$17.01per hour
310jobs in area
−6.9%vs US median

At $35,380, median pay for Security Guards in Kankakee, IL tracks the national median of $38,020 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $38,02010TH$31,200MEDIAN$35,38075TH$44,50090TH$58,180

How pay has moved

$38,768$25,8832019202020212022202320242025$35,380
$29,190 in 2019 to $35,380 in 2025, +21.2% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+0.4%
Openings per year
161,000
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Kankakee, IL.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $35,380, median pay for Security Guards in Kankakee, IL tracks the national median of $38,020 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $35,030 and $44,500. The lowest tenth earn under $31,200, while the highest tenth earn more than $58,180.

Employment stands at 310, or 7.3 jobs per thousand held locally. Springfield leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $42,240. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 157th of 183 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Kankakee, IL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$31,200−17.9%
25th$35,030−7.9%
Median (50th)$35,380−6.9%
75th$44,500+17.0%
90th$58,180+53.0%
Mean$41,030+7.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Illinois

Median annual wage for Security Guards, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Springfield$42,240680
2Decatur$41,220150
3Chicago$39,99048,360
4Peoria$38,530540
5Rockford$36,960760
6Bloomington$35,520470
7Champaign$34,250390

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Kankakee run 3.6% below the national average, so the median of $35,380 goes as far as $36,701 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 3.5% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$35,380as reported by BLS

Local price level

96.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$36,701US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $35,380 a year, 6.9% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $31,200 to $58,180 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 310 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Springfield, at $42,240.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Security Guards in Kankakee, IL?

The median annual wage is $35,380, or $17.01 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $38,020, so pay in Kankakee, IL is 6.9% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Kankakee, IL earns more than $58,180 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $31,200 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Springfield, at $42,240 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 310 jobs in this occupation in Kankakee, IL. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.