How much do Security Guards make in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?

Percentile spread

For Security Guards, the published 10th percentile is $28,410 and the 90th percentile is $52,310. The difference is $23,900, which is 65.9% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $30,750 to the 75th at $40,620, covers $9,870.

The mean annual wage is $38,870, which sits above the median of $36,270. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA median is 4.6% lower than the national median of $38,020 for Security Guards. In 2024 national prices the local median is $41,956, which is 10.4% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.8% higher than the Tennessee median of $36,000.

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Tennessee, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA is 86.447, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $36,270 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Security Guards at $41,956 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

26 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Security Guards. Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA ranks 8th of 27 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Johnson City, TN is 24 miles away, with a median of $27,720 and employment of 570. That median is 23.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $31,526, against $41,956 here.
• Morristown, TN is 62 miles away, with a median of $30,790 and employment of 70. That median is 15.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $35,651, against $41,956 here.
• Asheville, NC is 69 miles away, with a median of $36,820 and employment of 700. That median is 1.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $38,153, against $41,956 here.

Employment share

Security Guards accounts for 0.42% of wage-and-salary employment in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA (500 of 119,560). Nationally the occupation is 0.83% of employment (1,283,470 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.51 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.