Protects executives, public figures and wealthy families by planning safe routes, advancing venues and staying close enough to act if something goes wrong. BLS does not publish separate figures for security guards; it counts them within security guard (SOC 33-9032), whose median pay is $38,020 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 33-9032
- Protective Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Executive Protection Agent in four numbers
- Median pay
- $38,020a year, or $18.28/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $30KTop 10% $59K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +0.9%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+0.9%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +0.9% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 156,0001,294,300 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20251.3M
- Projected 20351.3M
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 1.3M Projected 2035 1.3M - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school79.3%
- Certificate4.2%
- Some college9.6%
- Associate's5.1%
- Bachelor's2%
Highest education held by security guards Segment Value High school 79.3% Certificate 4.2% Some college 9.6% Associate's 5.1% Bachelor's 2%
Also advertised as: Executive Protection Specialist, Close Protection Officer, Personal Protection Specialist, Protective Agent, Bodyguard.
Pay
How much do Security Guards make?
Every executive protection agent in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$38,020
Middle half earn $35,210 to $46,200
- 10th
- $30,210
- 25th
- $35,210
- 75th
- $46,200
- 90th
- $58,840
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $30,210 |
| 25th | $35,210 |
| Median | $38,020 |
| 75th | $46,200 |
| 90th | $58,840 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $38,020
- Median hourly wage
- $18.28/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $42,470
- People employed
- 1,283,470
Versus all US occupations
At $38,020, Security Guards earn 25% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $12,960 a year.
Versus protective service occupations
Inside the Protective Service group, where the middle occupation pays $74,060, this is 49% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $58,840 or more while the bottom 10% earn $30,210, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 5% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $64,210, and still leads at $58,425 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Security Guards the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $64,210 | $58,425 | 15,880 |
| 2Alaska | $47,480 | $46,386 | 2,100 |
| 3Washington | $47,100 | $44,013 | 25,800 |
| 4Vermont | $45,550 | $46,500 | 930 |
| 5Oregon | $45,500 | $44,020 | 12,200 |
| 6New Hampshire | $45,200 | $43,393 | 2,450 |
| 7Colorado | $45,150 | $43,813 | 16,890 |
| 8Massachusetts | $44,670 | $42,238 | 23,930 |
| 9New York | $44,240 | $40,993 | 134,700 |
| 10Virginia | $43,640 | $43,163 | 34,870 |
Job outlook
Is Executive Protection Agent a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +0.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Security Guards | +0.9% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Security Guards to change 0.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 11,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 156,000 openings are projected each year, 12.1% of the 1,294,300 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Executive Protection Agent
Many agents come from the military, police or federal protective work, though corporate programs also hire people with strong security, driving and planning skills. Specialist protection training schools teach advance work, protective formations, defensive and evasive driving, and emergency medical care. Firearms and security guard licensing rules vary by state.
ASIS International offers the Certified Protection Professional and Physical Security Professional credentials that help agents move into program leadership. Medical certifications such as tactical or emergency medical training are valued because agents are often the first responder in an emergency. People usually start on residential details or event teams, then move to travel details and lead agent roles as they build a record of discretion and reliability.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as security guards.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)79.3%
- Some College Courses9.6%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree5.1%
- Post-Secondary Certificate4.2%
- Bachelor's Degree2%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 79.3% |
| Some College Courses | 9.6% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 5.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.2% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 2% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Executive Protection Agent do?
Executive protection agents keep a specific person safe while that person goes about a normal working life. Most of the job is planning rather than confrontation. Before a trip or event, agents run an advance: they visit the venue, map entrances and exits, check hospitals and police stations along the route, and work out what to do if a crowd forms or a car breaks down.
On the day, agents travel with the principal, drive or coordinate drivers, manage access and watch for warning signs in the people around them. Corporate programs protect chief executives and their families, while private clients include entertainers, athletes and family offices. Agents also handle threat research, coordinate with local police and venue security, and keep detailed records of every movement.
Day-to-day tasks
- Advance venues, routes and hotels before the principal arrives
- Plan primary and backup routes, safe locations and medical options
- Accompany the principal and manage access around them
- Drive or coordinate protective drivers and vehicles
- Monitor crowds and surroundings for threats or unusual behavior
- Coordinate with local police, venue security and travel staff
- Research threats and online activity directed at the principal
- Write trip reports and keep detailed movement logs
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Work follows the client, so hours are long and irregular, with frequent domestic and international travel, hotel stays and time spent waiting in lobbies and cars. The job calls for physical fitness, alertness through long shifts, and the ability to blend into business and social settings.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.8
- Monitoring3.4
- Speaking3.3
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Active Learning2.9
- Writing2.8
- Learning Strategies2.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 |
| Speaking | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.9 |
| Writing | 2.8 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Coordination3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Persuasion2.9
- Service Orientation2.9
- Negotiation2.6
- Complex Problem Solving2.6
- Time Management2.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Persuasion | 2.9 |
| Service Orientation | 2.9 |
| Negotiation | 2.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.6 |
| Time Management | 2.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Network monitoring software
- Transaction security and virus protection software
- Video conferencing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Executive Protection Agent?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code RES) built on O*NET's Security Guard profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Executive Protection Agent |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic6.4
- Conventional4.8
- Enterprising3.8
- Social3.4
- Investigative2.3
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Executive Protection Agent
O*NET related occupations
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
More protective service careers
Median annual pay, with security guards highlighted
- Detective and Criminal Investigator$93,790
- Intelligence Analyst$93,790
- Police Officer$76,210
- Custom and Border Protection Officer$76,210
- Firefighter$59,280
- Correctional Officer and Jailer$58,940
- Private Detective and Investigator$51,220
- Security Guard$38,020
- Executive Protection Agent$38,020
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $93,790 |
| Intelligence Analyst | $93,790 |
| Police Officer | $76,210 |
| Custom and Border Protection Officer | $76,210 |
| Firefighter | $59,280 |
| Correctional Officer and Jailer | $58,940 |
| Private Detective and Investigator | $51,220 |
| Security Guard | $38,020 |
| Executive Protection Agent | $38,020 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Executive Protection Agent appears on
Questions
Executive Protection Agent: frequently asked questions
How much do Security Guards make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for security guards. It counts them within security guard, whose median pay is $38,020 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $35,210 and $46,200, and the top 10% earn $58,840 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Executive Protection Agent?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Security Guards. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 79.3% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Executive Protection Agent a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 0.9% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 156,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Executive Protection Agent do?
Executive protection agents keep a specific person safe while that person goes about a normal working life. A typical task: advance venues, routes and hotels before the principal arrives. Employers most often ask for Document management software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Security Guards the most?
The highest state medians for Security Guards are District of Columbia ($64,210), Alaska ($47,480), Washington ($47,100) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Executive Protection Agent?
O*NET scores Security Guards highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.