What Security Guards earn in Falls Church city, VA
According to the latest federal wage data for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, the median pay for Security Guards in Falls Church city, VA is $46,830 a year, or $22.51 an hour. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, the paycheck shrinks to $37,863 a year, and rent, food and energy take another bite. The sections below walk through each step with the actual math for Falls Church city, VA.
The mean wage is $54,430, which is 16.2% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 40,950 people working in this occupation across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Falls Church city, VA has roughly 14,710 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $36,530 a year ($17.56 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $78,790 or more ($37.88 an hour). That is a gap of $42,260 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $38,660 at the 25th percentile and $71,030 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.2 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: $22.51 an hour or $46,830 a year at the median for Falls Church city, VA. Before any deductions, that is $3,903 a month, $1,801 every two weeks and $901 each week. After taxes the same job pays $18.20 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 Falls Church city, VA median of $46,830 is 23.2% above it.
How pay in Falls Church city, VA compares
Compared with the Virginia average
A worker in this occupation in Falls Church city, VA earns $2,725 more than the Virginia average of $44,105, a premium of 6.2%. Over a year that premium is worth $2,725 before tax and roughly $2,203 after tax. Within Virginia, Falls Church city, VA 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 $46,830, Falls Church city, VA pays $7,668 more, which is 19.6% above 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 Falls Church city, VA
Among the 618 occupations with published wages in Falls Church city, VA, Security Guards ranks number 508 by median pay, ahead of about 18% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Computer and Information Systems Managers at $195,190 a year, which is $148,360 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 Falls Church city, VA median of $46,830, they add up to $8,967. The result is $37,863 of take-home pay a year ($3,155 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $19 goes to taxes and $81 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 19.1%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $31,080. 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 $3,491, an effective 7.5% 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 $2,903 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $679. FICA totals $3,583, which is 7.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in Virginia
Virginia income tax on this salary is $1,893 a year, or 4.0% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 54% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $158 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 Falls Church city, VA
IRS Statistics of Income data for Falls Church city, VA show an average adjusted gross income of $209,632 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 19.9% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 6.2%, compared with the 7.5% 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 Falls Church city, VA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Falls Church city, VA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $37,863 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Falls Church city, VA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,204 a month ($26,448 a year), and at $2,438 for two bedrooms. For Security Guards, a one-bedroom absorbs 69.8% of take-home pay and 56.5% 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 7.3% of gross pay for Security Guards in Falls Church city, VA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Virginia residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,523 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $597, for $2,119 in total. Gasoline in Virginia averages $3.09 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,429.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $33,432 a year in Falls Church city, VA. Subtract that from $37,863 of take-home pay and $4,432 remains, which is $369 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 9.5% of gross pay, a thin cushion that one unexpected expense could erase.
Local housing and commute data for Falls Church city, VA
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Falls Church city, VA: 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 Falls Church city, VA, set beside the Virginia and national medians.
Property taxes in Falls Church city, VA
Homeowners in Falls Church city, VA pay a median of $10,001 a year in real estate taxes, 258% above the Virginia median of $2,790 and 221% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $1,055,600, the median tax bill is 0.95% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Security Guards median of $46,830, a tax bill of that size would equal 21.4% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Falls Church city, VA
Renters in Falls Church city, VA pay a median gross rent of $2,190 a month in the Census survey, 39% above the Virginia median of $1,579. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $2,204 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 $1,055,600, 175% above the Virginia median of $383,700. Median household income is $143,262, 54% above the Virginia median of $93,170, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 18.5% of that income.
Commuting in Falls Church city, VA
Workers in Falls Church city, VA who travel to a workplace spend an average of 28.7 minutes each way, 5% above the Virginia average of 27.3. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 4.8 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 32.7% of workers in Falls Church city, VA work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Security Guards afford to live in Falls Church city, VA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $46,830 that ceiling is $1,171 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,204 is $1,033 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $42.38 an hour; the median for Security Guards is $22.51, which is 47% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $18.20 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 27.9 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,438 a month means $1,219 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $11,820 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $16,252.
How fast you can save
At $369 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 28 months (2.3 years). Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 56 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Security Guards pay in Falls Church city, VA
How much do Security Guards make per hour in Falls Church city, VA?
The median is $22.51 per hour, based on $46,830 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $17.56 at the 10th percentile to $37.88 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Security Guards take home after taxes in Falls Church city, VA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $46,830 becomes $37,863 a year. That is $3,155 a month, $1,456 every two weeks or $728 a week.
How much tax do Security Guards pay in Falls Church city, VA?
Total taxes are $8,967 a year, an effective rate of 19.1%: $3,491 federal income tax, $3,583 FICA and $1,893 Virginia income tax.
Do Security Guards earn more in Falls Church city, VA than elsewhere in Virginia?
Yes. The local median of $46,830 is +6.2% versus the Virginia average of $44,105, a difference of $2,725 a year.
Can Security Guards afford a one-bedroom apartment in Falls Church city, VA?
A one-bedroom costs $2,204 a month against take-home pay of $3,155, which is 69.9% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $1,171 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Security Guards in Falls Church city, VA?
About $369 a month ($4,432 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $33,432 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Falls Church city, VA at the 30% guideline?
$42.38 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $26,448 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Security Guards is $22.51.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 Virginia 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.