What Security Guards earn in Bracken County, KY
According to the latest federal wage data for the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metropolitan area, the median pay for Security Guards in Bracken County, KY is $36,110 a year, or $17.36 an hour. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, the paycheck shrinks to $29,829 a year, and rent, food and energy take another bite. The sections below walk through each step with the actual math for Bracken County, KY.
The mean wage is $40,170, which is 11.2% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 7,970 people working in this occupation across the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Bracken County, KY has roughly 8,444 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Security Guards in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $29,670 a year ($14.26 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $54,970 or more ($26.43 an hour). That is a gap of $25,300 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $32,570 at the 25th percentile and $44,760 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.9 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $17.36 an hour or $36,110 a year at the median for Bracken County, KY. Before any deductions, that is $3,009 a month, $1,389 every two weeks and $694 each week. After taxes the same job pays $14.34 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Security Guards
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Security Guards this way: "Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Patrol industrial or commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates"; "Answer alarms and investigate disturbances"; "Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises"; "Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of unauthorized persons, or unusual occurrences".
Job outlook for Security Guards
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 1,294,300 jobs in 2025 to 1,305,600 in 2035, a change of +0.9%, slower than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 156,000 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 12.1% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: short-term on-the-job training. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $38,020 for this occupation; the Bracken County, KY median of $36,110 is 5.0% below it.
How pay in Bracken County, KY compares
Compared with the Kentucky average
A worker in this occupation in Bracken County, KY earns $601 more than the Kentucky average of $35,509, a premium of 1.7%. Over a year that premium is worth $601 before tax and roughly $497 after tax. Within Kentucky, Bracken County, KY already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Security Guards is $39,162 across the contiguous United States. At $36,110, Bracken County, KY pays $3,052 less, which is 7.8% below that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Bracken County, KY
Among the 582 occupations with published wages in Bracken County, KY, Security Guards ranks number 533 by median pay, ahead of about 8% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Software Developers at $121,420 a year, which is $85,310 more than the median for Security Guards.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Security Guards earning the Bracken County, KY median of $36,110, they add up to $6,281. The result is $29,829 of take-home pay a year ($2,486 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $17 goes to taxes and $83 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 17.4%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $20,360. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $2,205, an effective 6.1% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $2,239 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $524. FICA totals $2,762, which is 7.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in Kentucky
Kentucky income tax on this salary is $1,314 a year, or 3.6% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 60% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $109 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Bracken County, KY
IRS Statistics of Income data for Bracken County, KY show an average adjusted gross income of $60,924 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 8.7% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 4.7%, compared with the 6.1% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Bracken County, KY
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Bracken County, KY: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $29,829 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Bracken County, KY, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,128 a month ($13,536 a year), and at $1,442 for two bedrooms. For Security Guards, a one-bedroom absorbs 45.4% of take-home pay and 37.5% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 9.5% of gross pay for Security Guards in Bracken County, KY. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Kentucky residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,351 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $524, for $1,874 in total. Gasoline in Kentucky averages $3.18 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,470.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $20,316 a year in Bracken County, KY. Subtract that from $29,829 of take-home pay and $9,513 remains, which is $793 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 26.3% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Bracken County, KY
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Bracken County, KY: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Bracken County, KY, set beside the Kentucky and national medians.
Property taxes in Bracken County, KY
Homeowners in Bracken County, KY pay a median of $1,149 a year in real estate taxes, 26% below the Kentucky median of $1,544 and 63% below the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $125,000, the median tax bill is 0.92% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Security Guards median of $36,110, a tax bill of that size would equal 3.2% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Bracken County, KY
Renters in Bracken County, KY pay a median gross rent of $756 a month in the Census survey, 22% below the Kentucky median of $967. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $1,128 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $125,000, 39% below the Kentucky median of $205,600. Median household income is $66,319, 4% above the Kentucky median of $63,726, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 20.4% of that income.
Commuting in Bracken County, KY
Workers in Bracken County, KY who travel to a workplace spend an average of 34.5 minutes each way, 44% above the Kentucky average of 24.0. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 5.8 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 3.4% of workers in Bracken County, KY work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Security Guards afford to live in Bracken County, KY?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $36,110 that ceiling is $903 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,128 is $225 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $21.69 an hour; the median for Security Guards is $17.36, which is 20% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $14.34 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 18.2 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,442 a month means $721 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $4,884 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $14,397.
How fast you can save
At $793 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 13 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 26 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Security Guards pay in Bracken County, KY
How much do Security Guards make per hour in Bracken County, KY?
The median is $17.36 per hour, based on $36,110 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $14.26 at the 10th percentile to $26.43 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Security Guards take home after taxes in Bracken County, KY?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $36,110 becomes $29,829 a year. That is $2,486 a month, $1,147 every two weeks or $574 a week.
How much tax do Security Guards pay in Bracken County, KY?
Total taxes are $6,281 a year, an effective rate of 17.4%: $2,205 federal income tax, $2,762 FICA and $1,314 Kentucky income tax.
Do Security Guards earn more in Bracken County, KY than elsewhere in Kentucky?
Yes. The local median of $36,110 is +1.7% versus the Kentucky average of $35,509, a difference of $601 a year.
Can Security Guards afford a one-bedroom apartment in Bracken County, KY?
A one-bedroom costs $1,128 a month against take-home pay of $2,486, which is 45.4% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $903 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Security Guards in Bracken County, KY?
About $793 a month ($9,513 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $20,316 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Bracken County, KY at the 30% guideline?
$21.69 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $13,536 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Security Guards is $17.36.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Kentucky rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.