NAICS 561612

Security Guard & Patrol Services in California

Establishments primarily engaged in providing guard and patrol services, including bodyguard and personal protection.

Establishments (2023)
2,173
Statewide, California
Employees
157,154
Mid-March employment
Annual payroll
$5.3B
All establishments
Avg. establishment size
72.3
Employees per establishment

What acquirers look at

Contractual recurring revenue with low capital needs, offset by very high labor turnover. Licensing through the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services must transfer.

Security Services by county

Ranked by establishment count, 2023 County Business Patterns. For the crowded-versus-underserved reading, see the saturation ranking, which ranks by establishments per resident instead.

#CountyEstablishmentsPer 10k residentsShare of state
1Los Angeles County7960.836.6%
2Orange County1890.68.7%
3Riverside County1350.56.2%
4San Diego County1340.46.2%
5San Bernardino County1210.55.6%
6Sacramento County940.64.3%
7Santa Clara County890.54.1%
8Alameda County860.54.0%
9Contra Costa County580.52.7%
10San Francisco County580.72.7%
11San Joaquin County550.72.5%
12Ventura County510.62.3%
13Fresno County470.52.2%
14San Mateo County280.41.3%
15Kern County270.31.2%
16Solano County220.51.0%
17Monterey County200.50.9%
18Stanislaus County200.40.9%
19Sonoma County170.30.8%
20Placer County130.30.6%
21Santa Barbara County120.30.6%
22Santa Cruz County100.40.5%
23Tulare County100.20.5%
24Imperial County90.50.4%
25Merced County90.30.4%

Counties in California

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2026Q1). Quarterly establishment counts and employment for employers covered by unemployment insurance. Retrieved 2026-09-08.