Transportation Security Screeners
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.
What it pays
Transportation Security Screeners earn a median of $32.10/hr — about $67,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $21.49/hr; the top 10% earn $37.67/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Transportation Security Screeners earn a median of $32.10/hr — about $67,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $21.49/hr; the top 10% earn $37.67/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
Working for yourself
About 0.3% of transportation security screeners are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused and hands-on.
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Quick questions
- How much does a transportation security screener make?
- The median pay is $32.10 per hour — roughly $67,000 a year, with the real range running from about $21.49/hr (10th percentile) to $37.67/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a transportation security screener?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a transportation security screener actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.