Careers / Transportation Security Screeners
Transportation Security Screeners — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$66,770
United States, 2025
Employment
50,290
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Conduct screening of passengers, baggage, or cargo to ensure compliance with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. May operate basic security equipment such as x-ray machines and hand wands at screening checkpoints.
- O*NET code
- 33-9093.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.
- Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
- Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.
- Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.
- Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.
- Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.
- Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.
- Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$44,700
25th percentile
$57,050
75th percentile
$72,820
90th percentile
$78,350
Most important skills
- Speaking3.4
- Monitoring3.4
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Coordination3.3
- Social Perceptiveness3.3
- Active Listening3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Service Orientation3.0
- Persuasion3.0
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Active Learning2.9
- Writing2.9
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 10 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
10
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Active Listening | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Coordination | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.4 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Transportation Security ScreenersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown, PA | $79,210 | 50 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $78,940 | 350 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $78,940 | 320 | 2025 |
| Salinas, CA | $78,940 | 40 | 2025 |
| Manchester, NH | $76,130 | 80 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $76,130 | 1,250 | 2025 |
| NH | $76,130 | 80 | 2025 |
| Trenton, NJ | $74,400 | 50 | 2025 |
| NJ | $74,400 | 1,200 | 2025 |
| Flint, MI | $74,130 | 50 | 2025 |
| CA | $73,610 | 5,410 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $73,610 | 2,670 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $73,610 | 500 | 2025 |
| MA | $73,510 | 1,380 | 2025 |
| Kiryas Joel, NY | $73,210 | 50 | 2025 |
| Kahului, HI | $72,510 | 160 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $72,340 | 4,610 | 2025 |
| MD | $72,240 | 570 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $72,240 | 550 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $72,130 | 690 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Transportation Security Screeners to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.