Security Guards and Patrol Services NAICS 561612

Sep 22, 2025 - High-Profile Murders Spur Security Guard Demand

• The murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has spotlighted rising demand and soaring costs in the private security industry, especially for guards and executive protection teams. High-profile incidents, including the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO and a July 2025 mass shooting in a New York City office building, have driven Fortune 500 companies and public figures to reassess security needs. Executive protection is evolving into specialized operations. Industry demand is increasing, but so are the costs required to provide personal protection in a heightened threat environment. Standard armed protection runs $125 to $200 per hour, while elite agents can command $250 per hour. A two-person team may cost $3,000 to $5,000 per day, while larger 10-person teams can reach $25,000 to $30,000 daily. Full coverage often requires rotating teams of 24 to 36 guards.
• Fire watch guards, trained professionals who monitor properties for signs of fire, are an important but little known job within the security industry. The fire watch guards are mostly used when security and fire systems malfunction and leave a building unprotected. They are also used as supplemental to an electronic fire detection system, such as at construction sites that require round-the-clock monitoring to comply with legal safety requirements. In addition to construction, fire watch guards also patrol vacant buildings, private businesses, warehouses, education institutions, and government locations. Per the National Fire Protection Association, local fire departments responded to about 1.39 million fires in 2023 (the last year data is available) at a cost of $23 billion in property damage.

• The US office market posted higher net absorption in the first quarter, and vacancy rates rose slightly, signaling that demand for office space is on the rise, according to a recent report by the real estate firm CBRE. Higher office occupancy is an indicator of increased demand for security guards and patrol services as people spend more time in offices in central business districts. Net absorption in Q1 2025 hit 2.3 million square feet, which marked the fourth consecutive quarter of increasing office space demand. The office vacancy rate in Q1 2025 increased to a relatively flat 19%, a positive signal after about four years of skyrocketing vacancies. First-quarter leasing activity increased 18% year over year to 54 million square feet, enough to stay above the five year quarterly average.
• Shoplifting incidents are up in several US cities - an indicator of demand for security guards and patrol services - amidst a shift in many local law enforcement agencies to deprioritize arrests for petty theft. A report on shoplifting in some of the largest US cities by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) found large spikes in shoplifting in Chicago (up 42% year over year through October), Los Angeles (87% higher in 2023 than 2019), and New York City (a 55% jump in 2023 from 2019 levels). Bricks-and-mortar retailers are still combating the aftermath of the pandemic and the resulting boom in online shopping by trying to bring more customers into physical locations. While a 2003 CCJ study found that under 2% of shoplifting incidents were physically violent, more big retailers are opting for security guard services to hinder both that and monetary losses from stolen merchandise.