CNBC says private security spending and guard employment keep rising as violent crime eases.
Why it matters: The surge shows how businesses, venues and institutions are paying more for protection even without a crime-wave backdrop. It points to rising budget pressure, labor demand and broader spending on physical security and monitoring.
- CNBC put U.S. private security at roughly $50 billion in 2026.
- The FBI said the violent crime rate fell 9.3% in 2025, the largest year-to-year decline since 1936.
- BLS projects employment for security guards and gambling surveillance officers will grow 1% from 2025 to 2035.
- Allied Universal says it has about $23 billion in annual revenue and operates in more than 100 countries and territories.
Private security has become a major business line for employers, venues and institutions that want more protection, even as national crime trends have eased. CNBC reported Sept. 4 that the sector has grown into a roughly $50 billion industry, with spending and guard employment rising.
The tension in the data is clear. The FBI said violent crime fell 9.3% in 2025, calling it the largest year-to-year decline since the bureau began estimating crime trends in 1936. The bureau’s 2025 national crime release said 2024 to 2025 marked the largest year-over-year drop in violent crime rates since those estimates began. Read the FBI’s update
Even so, the security labor market remains sizable. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says employment of security guards and gambling surveillance officers is projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035. Its occupational wage tables also show the job category as a large national occupational group. BLS outlook for security guards May 2025 wage data
The market definition is broad. The Census Bureau’s NAICS 5616 category covers investigation, guard and armored car services, plus security systems sales, installation, repair and monitoring. Census definition
Allied Universal offers a window into the sector. The company says it is the world’s leading security and facility services provider, with about $23 billion in annual revenue and operations in more than 100 countries and territories. Allied Universal company profile
By the numbers
- $50 billion - CNBC’s size estimate for U.S. private security
- 9.3% - FBI’s reported drop in the violent crime rate in 2025
- 1% - BLS projected employment growth for security guards and gambling surveillance officers from 2025 to 2035
Yes, but: The $50 billion figure depends on how the market is defined, since official categories include both guard services and security systems work.
What's next: The BLS employment and wage data, plus future FBI crime releases, will provide the next official read on the sector’s labor and demand backdrop.