What do they do?

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.

Also known as:

Security Screener, Transportation Security Officer (TSO)

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Transportation Security Screeners is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
  • 0%

    Change

    Select a state to see its job growth rate ranking
    4,700

    Job Openings

    Select a state to see its net job growth ranking

Colleges with the most graduates that become Transportation Security Screeners

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Some college, no degree  (38%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (22%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (21%)
  • Associate's degree  (12%)
  • Master's degree  (4%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (2%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Transportation Security Screeners

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Inspect cargo to identify potential hazards.
  • Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
  • Examine personal documentation to ensure that it is valid.
  • Search individuals for illegal or dangerous items.
  • Determine operational procedures.
  • Locate suspicious objects or vehicles.
  • Monitor activities of individuals to ensure safety or compliance with rules.
  • Communicate safety or hazard information to others.
  • Block physical access to restricted areas.
  • Prevent unauthorized individuals from entering restricted areas.
  • Patrol properties to maintain safety.
  • Request emergency personnel.
  • Record information about suspicious objects.
  • Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
  • Confiscate prohibited or dangerous items.
  • Monitor access or flow of people to prevent problems.
  • Inform the public about policies, services or procedures.
  • Provide information to the general public.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

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