Transportation Security Screeners

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 33-9093.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $66,768
Projected change: +0.4%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 57.93K jobs

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

State

County

Loading available locations…

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 transportation security screeners do

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

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.
Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.
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.
Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.
Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.
Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them.
Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives.
Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering.
Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors.
Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure.
Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.
Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items.
Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios.
Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment.
Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints.
Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists.
Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal.
Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency.
Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.
Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries.
Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $44,699
25th percentile: $57,054
50th percentile: $66,768
75th percentile: $72,821
90th percentile: $78,354

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $66,768 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+0.4%average or slower

202557,929 jobs

2035 projected58,134 jobs

205 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: 88.9%
Some college: 11.1%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

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

Pat-Down Searches
Object Recognition
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Airport Security
Standard Operating Procedure
Passenger Screening
Physical Security Operations
Aviation
Continuous Development
Technical Support
Personal Protective Equipment
Artificial Intelligence
Large Language Modeling
Authorization (Computing)
ChatGPT
Machinery
Loss Prevention
Lifting Ability
Contraband Detection And Control
Registration

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
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.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Transportation Security Officers1,457 postings
02Security Screeners886 postings
03Supervisory Transportation Security Officers319 postings
04Screening Managers317 postings
05Screeners304 postings
06Checkpoint Engineers274 postings
07Security Support Specialists263 postings
08Airport Security Officers160 postings
09Port Security Specialists138 postings
10Transportation Officers69 postings
11Lead Transportation Security Officers50 postings
12Master Transportation Security Officers/Security Training Instructors32 postings
13Wheelchair Agents22 postings
14Patrol Officers17 postings
15Cargo Specialists14 postings
16Screening Specialists13 postings
17Transportation Security Specialists12 postings
18Classification Officers11 postings
19Passenger Service Assistants11 postings
20Security Agents11 postings

Top employers

01United States Department of Homeland Security2,834 postings
02Airport Security289 postings
03G2 Secure Staffing50 postings
04Vmd Agency37 postings
05Children's Services33 postings
06Elite Team Logistics33 postings
07Allied Universal19 postings
08Menzies Aviation19 postings
09Andy Frain Services18 postings
10Primeflight Aviation Services18 postings
11Global Elite Group14 postings
12Covenant13 postings
13Bering Straits Native Corporation12 postings
14Career Connections11 postings
15Sunstates Security11 postings
16GEO Group10 postings
17Covenant Aviation Security9 postings
18G4S Secure Solutions9 postings
19Aviation Security Management6 postings
20City of Austin6 postings

Keep looking

Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

Median pay: $117,853
Employment outlook: +2.5%

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

Median pay: $35,443
Employment outlook: +2.2%

Animal Control Workers

Median pay: $45,656
Employment outlook: +7.3%

Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators

Median pay: $74,243
Employment outlook: +6.1%