Customs and Border Protection Officers

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 33-3051.04United States

Investigate and inspect persons, common carriers, goods, and merchandise, arriving in or departing from the United States or between states to detect violations of immigration and customs laws and regulations.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $76,157
Projected change: +5.8%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 728.46K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What customs and border protection officers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Examine immigration applications, visas, and passports and interview persons to determine eligibility for admission, residence, and travel in the U.S.
Detain persons found to be in violation of customs or immigration laws and arrange for legal action, such as deportation.
Inspect cargo, baggage, and personal articles entering or leaving U.S. for compliance with revenue laws and U.S. customs regulations.
Locate and seize contraband, undeclared merchandise, and vehicles, aircraft, or boats that contain such merchandise.
Interpret and explain laws and regulations to travelers, prospective immigrants, shippers, and manufacturers.
Institute civil and criminal prosecutions and cooperate with other law enforcement agencies in the investigation and prosecution of those in violation of immigration or customs laws.
Testify regarding decisions at immigration appeals or in federal court.
Record and report job-related activities, findings, transactions, violations, discrepancies, and decisions.
Determine duty and taxes to be paid on goods.
Collect samples of merchandise for examination, appraisal, or testing.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $47,394
25th percentile: $59,182
50th percentile: $76,157
75th percentile: $97,772
90th percentile: $115,620

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $76,157 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.8%average or slower

2025728,459 jobs

2035 projected770,818 jobs

42,359 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 39%
Bachelor's degree: 29.3%
Some college: 14.2%
Certificate: 10.1%
Associate degree: 7.3%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Contraband Detection And Control
International Laws
Law Enforcement
Motorcycles
All Terrain Vehicles
Patrolling
Immigration Law
Rehabilitation
Forensic Psychology
Criminal Justice
Customs Regulations
Court Systems
Agriculture
Physical Fitness
Merchandising
Observational Techniques
Law Enforcement Practices
Risk Analysis
Narcotics
Border Control

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Border Patrol Agents15,347 postings
02Customs and Border Protection Officers4,613 postings
03Law Enforcement Coordinators1,032 postings
04Law Enforcement Specialists422 postings
05Law Enforcement Professionals294 postings
06Public Safety/Security Officers261 postings
07Supervisory Immigration Services Officers137 postings
08Collision Estimators122 postings
09Immigration Services Officers119 postings
10Crane Inspectors116 postings
11Immigration Officers111 postings
12Supervisory Border Patrol Agents89 postings
13Contracts Associates86 postings
14Operations Administrators83 postings
15Slot Service Representatives44 postings
16Inspectors43 postings
17Federal Law Enforcement Officers39 postings
18Clerks35 postings
19Transportation Services Representatives34 postings
20Asylum Officers32 postings

Top employers

01United States Department of Homeland Security20,704 postings
02Marcom Group425 postings
03Leoforce123 postings
04Classic Collision109 postings
05Citizenship And Immigration Services106 postings
06Aptive Resources99 postings
07FedEx85 postings
08Zurich Insurance84 postings
09United States Border Patrol76 postings
10United States Department of Transportation59 postings
11District Of Columbia Courts56 postings
12U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (Ice)56 postings
13Dealer Specialties45 postings
14Boeing39 postings
15Environmental Systems Products39 postings
16Onvoi33 postings
17Copart31 postings
18Cox Automotive31 postings
19Ces Agency24 postings
20Carmel Staffing Solutions22 postings

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