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What does a Security Guards salary really buy you in Vermont?
Vermont is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Vermont's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 101.1, meaning prices are 1.1% higher the national average. A Security Guards earning $45,550 in Vermont has the equivalent purchasing power of $45,054 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Vermont's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $36,040 | $35,647 | $-392 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $38,560 | $38,140 | $-419 |
| Median (P50) | $45,550 | $45,054 | $-495 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $61,730 | $61,058 | $-671 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $72,620 | $71,829 | $-790 |
Vermont's cost of living is close to the national average, so $45,550 keeps most of its value at $45,054 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 101.1, Vermont is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Security Guards is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Vermont's cost of living, $45,550 nominal nets out to $45,054 in real purchasing power — a small 1.1% loss. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Security Guards.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Security Guards, Vermont places #5 of 51 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Security Guards salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Vermont ranks #5 out of 51 states for Security Guards after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Security Guards take-home pay in Vermont after taxes →
A Security Guards in Vermont earns a median salary of $45,550 per year. After adjusting for Vermont's cost of living (RPP=101.1), the real purchasing power is $45,054 — a -1.1% difference.
Vermont's cost of living is 1.1% higher than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Vermont is 101.1 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Security Guards in Vermont: $45,550 x (100 / 101.1) = $45,054. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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