How much do TSA officers make?

TSA Officer salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Transportation Security Screeners (SOC 33-9093) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

TSA officers in the US earned a median of $66,770 a year ($32.10 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $57,050 to $72,820.

Median annual pay: $66,770; Mean $64,310
Median hourly pay: $32.10; Mean $30.92
Typical range (10th–90th): $44.7K–$78.3K; $44,700 to $78,350
US jobs: 50,290; −4.2% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a TSA officer: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: New Hampshire

TSA Officer pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$44,700
25th percentile$57,050
Median$66,770
75th percentile$72,820
90th percentile$78,350

Half of all TSA officers earned more than $66,770 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $44,700; the top 10% made over $78,350. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $57,050 to $72,820.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$44,700	$21.49	$3,725
25th	$57,050	$27.43	$4,754
Median (50th)	$66,770	$32.10	$5,564
75th	$72,820	$35.01	$6,068
90th	$78,350	$37.67	$6,529
Mean (average)	$64,310	$30.92	$5,359

TSA Officer salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for TSA officers by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. New Hampshire $76,130
2. New Jersey $74,400
3. California $73,610
4. Massachusetts $73,510
5. Maryland $72,240

Lowest-paying states

45. Missouri $51,210
44. Montana $54,770
43. North Dakota $54,950
42. South Dakota $55,530
41. Wyoming $61,110

Best after cost of living: New Hampshire. Its median of $76,130 is worth about $73,086 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$63,770	24	$71,794	3	$30.66	260	0.12
Alaska	$71,390	9	$69,745	15	$34.32	440	1.35
Arizona	$64,330	22	$63,897	38	$30.93	1,380	0.43
Arkansas	$61,110	38	$70,292	9	$29.38	190	0.14
California	$73,610	3	$66,483	32	$35.39	5,410	0.30
Colorado	$71,530	7	$69,412	17	$34.39	1,250	0.44
Connecticut	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Delaware	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
District of Columbia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Florida	$63,130	25	$61,046	43	$30.35	6,920	0.70
Georgia	$66,770	17	$69,340	18	$32.10	1,850	0.38
Hawaii	$70,160	11	$63,810	39	$33.73	1,010	1.60
Idaho	$63,130	26	$66,109	33	$30.35	250	0.29
Illinois	$70,570	10	$70,600	7	$33.93	1,970	0.32
Indiana	$61,670	36	$66,078	34	$29.65	460	0.14
Iowa	$61,590	37	$70,178	10	$29.61	220	0.14
Kansas	$63,130	27	$70,091	11	$30.35	120	0.09
Kentucky	$63,130	28	$70,021	13	$30.35	510	0.26
Louisiana	$63,130	29	$71,570	4	$30.35	460	0.24
Maine	$63,130	30	$65,049	36	$30.35	160	0.25
Maryland	$72,240	5	$68,827	22	$34.73	570	0.21
Massachusetts	$73,510	4	$69,508	16	$35.34	1,380	0.38
Michigan	$67,390	14	$70,040	12	$32.40	1,070	0.24
Minnesota	$67,290	16	$68,231	26	$32.35	740	0.25
Mississippi	$63,130	31	$72,602	2	$30.35	170	0.14
Missouri	$51,210	45	$56,388	45	$24.62	930	0.32
Montana	$54,770	44	$57,869	44	$26.33	330	0.64
Nebraska	$61,710	35	$68,488	23	$29.67	290	0.28
Nevada	$64,500	21	$64,514	37	$31.01	1,350	0.87
New Hampshire	$76,130	1	$73,086	1	$36.60	80	0.12
New Jersey	$74,400	2	$68,379	25	$35.77	1,200	0.28
New Mexico	$63,810	23	$69,199	19	$30.68	200	0.23
New York	$72,010	6	$66,725	30	$34.62	4,240	0.44
North Carolina	$64,540	20	$68,422	24	$31.03	1,300	0.26
North Dakota	$54,950	43	$61,770	42	$26.42	170	0.40
Ohio	$65,870	18	$71,000	5	$31.67	690	0.12
Oklahoma	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oregon	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Pennsylvania	$67,330	15	$69,005	21	$32.37	1,460	0.24
Rhode Island	$71,510	8	$69,916	14	$34.38	160	0.31
South Carolina	$63,130	32	$67,339	27	$30.35	480	0.21
South Dakota	$55,530	42	$62,685	40	$26.70	60	0.13
Tennessee	$61,110	39	$66,518	31	$29.38	840	0.26
Texas	$68,640	13	$70,721	6	$33.00	4,300	0.31
Utah	$61,110	40	$61,812	41	$29.38	510	0.29
Vermont	$65,460	19	$66,825	29	$31.47	80	0.25
Virginia	$69,910	12	$69,147	20	$33.61	1,870	0.45
Washington	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
West Virginia	$63,130	33	$70,539	8	$30.35	90	0.13
Wisconsin	$63,130	34	$67,092	28	$30.35	540	0.18
Wyoming	$61,110	41	$65,929	35	$29.38	90	0.33

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (6 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for TSA officers

141 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	$79,210	$79,235	50
Salinas, CA	$78,940	$72,394	40
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$78,940	$68,280	350
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$78,940	$71,489	320
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$76,130	$70,318	1,250
Manchester-Nashua, NH	$76,130	$72,054	80
Trenton-Princeton, NJ	$74,400	$72,107	50
Flint, MI	$74,130	$79,681	50
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$73,610	$64,817	2,670
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$73,610	$69,155	500

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	4,610	$72,340	$64,266
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	3,250	$65,080	$57,010
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	2,670	$73,610	$64,817
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	1,780	$70,570	$68,121
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,690	$68,640	$66,583
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	1,570	$66,770	$66,731
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	1,490	$61,530	$60,670
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,360	$69,910	$64,206
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	1,250	$76,130	$70,318
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	1,200	$64,500	$64,362

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves TSA officer pay: employers and settings

For transportation security screeners, the median is $66,770 a year, or $32.1 an hour. The 10th percentile is $44,700, the 25th is $57,050, the 75th is $72,820, and the 90th is $78,350, a fairly narrow range because most screeners work under the same federal pay system. Those percentiles show the spread of pay across all screeners, not a raise schedule by years.

The biggest factor is who employs you. Federal TSOs, who are 45,490 of the 50,290 screeners counted, have a median of $67,200 while private-sector screeners have a median of $42,650 and the air transportation support companies that employ many of them pay $42,910. Local government screeners earn a median of $46,610.

Location also counts. New Hampshire at $76,130, New Jersey at $74,400, California at $73,610, Massachusetts at $73,510, and Maryland at $72,240 lead the states. North Dakota at $54,950, Montana at $54,770, and Missouri at $51,210 are lowest. New Hampshire also comes out best after living costs ($73,086 adjusted). Moving up to lead or supervisory officer is the main way to raise pay within the job.

Where TSA officers work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Federal Executive Branch	90.5%	$67,200
Support Activities for Air Transportation	6.1%	$42,910

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	4,280	$42,650
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	45,490	$67,200
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	520	$46,610

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

TSA Officer pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$66.8K $39.3K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $39,310 in 2015 to $66,770 in 2025, up 70% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $53,139 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 26% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What TSA officers do

A TSA officer, formally a Transportation Security Officer or TSO, screens passengers and bags at U.S. airports to keep weapons, explosives and other prohibited items off planes. People often call them TSA agents, but they are not law enforcement: TSOs do not carry weapons, handcuffs or arrest authority, and they call airport police when someone needs to be detained.

At the checkpoint, officers check IDs and boarding passes, run the walk-through metal detectors and body scanners, read X-ray images of carry-on bags, and do pat-downs and hand searches when something alarms. Behind the scenes, others screen checked luggage with large explosive-detection machines and open bags that need a closer look.

About nine in ten screeners in the BLS data work directly for the federal government. The rest mostly work for private contractors at the 20 airports in TSA's Screening Partnership Program, where they follow the same TSA procedures. The job means standing for long periods, lifting bags and bins up to 50 pounds, and dealing with travelers who are rushed or upset. Airports run from before dawn to late at night, so shift work, weekends and holidays are routine.

A typical day

Check travelers' IDs and boarding passes at the start of the checkpoint
Watch X-ray screens and decide which carry-on bags need a hand search
Run body scanners and metal detectors and resolve alarms with pat-downs or wands
Swab bags, hands or items and test the samples for explosive traces
Screen checked luggage and open flagged bags in the baggage room
Explain the rules calmly to frustrated passengers and help travelers with disabilities
Call a supervisor or airport police when a threat or prohibited item turns up

Also called: tsa agent, transportation security officer, security screener, transportation security officer (tso).

How to become a TSA officer

Full guide

To become a TSA officer you need to be a U.S. citizen or national, at least 18, with a high school diploma or GED; apply on USAJOBS, pass the computer-based test, medical exam, drug test and background check, then complete paid TSA training. No license or college is required.

Typical time: Several months: the hiring process, then about 3 months at the home airport, 3 weeks of academy training and on-the-job training; Fastest: A few months
Minimum education: High school diploma, GED or equivalent certificate
License: Not licensed (federal hiring requirements and TSA training instead)
Typical training cost: No tuition; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a TSA officer: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: Several months: the hiring process, then about 3 months at the home airport, 3 weeks of academy training and on-the-job training; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: No tuition; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $66,770; $15,790 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 0–0%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

The typical path into this job has no tuition cost (training is employer-provided or paid), so there is nothing to repay. This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for TSA officers

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: −4.2%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 53,500; 51,200 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 4,500; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: —; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects employment of transportation security screeners to fall 4.2% from 2025 to 2035, from 53,500 to 51,200, while jobs overall grow 3.5%. Even so, about 4,500 openings are expected each year, because many screeners leave for other jobs or retire.

The projected decline means fewer screening positions overall, so competition for openings at some airports may tighten. Still, steady turnover keeps hiring going, and TSA often posts openings for specific airports, especially large hubs with many checkpoints to staff.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

TSA Officer salary FAQ

How much do TSA officers make an hour?

The median hourly wage for TSA officers was $32.10 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $21.49 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $37.67. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays TSA officers the most?

New Hampshire has the highest median pay for TSA officers, $76,130 a year, followed by New Jersey ($74,400) and California ($73,610). After adjusting for each state's price level, New Hampshire comes out ahead at about $73,086 in national-average dollars.

Do TSA officers make six figures?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of TSA officers earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $66,770, and the top 10% earn more than $78,350. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Are TSA officers federal employees?

Most are. About 45,490 of the 50,290 screeners in the BLS data work for the federal government as TSA employees, with federal benefits and pay. At the 20 airports in TSA's Screening Partnership Program, screening is done by private contractors under TSA oversight; those screeners pass the same background and medical checks and follow TSA procedures but are paid by the contractor.

Do TSA officers carry guns or arrest people?

No. Transportation Security Officers at checkpoints do not carry firearms or other weapons, do not carry handcuffs and have no authority to arrest anyone. When a passenger brings a gun or becomes a threat, the officer stops the screening and calls local or airport police. TSA does have separate armed law enforcement jobs, such as Federal Air Marshals, with different hiring requirements.

What is it like to work at TSA?

It is shift work on your feet. Officers rotate through checkpoint positions, from ID checking to X-ray reading to pat-downs, and some work in checked-baggage rooms. Early mornings, late nights, weekends and holidays are normal because airports operate all week. Peak travel days are crowded and tense, and the job requires lifting bags and bins up to 50 pounds and staying alert to small details for hours.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 33-9093
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (33-9093.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Transportation Security Officers, Transportation Security Administration · checked October 28, 2026
Federal Hiring Process, Transportation Security Administration · checked October 28, 2026
TSA opens state-of-the-art training academy in Las Vegas, Transportation Security Administration · checked October 28, 2026
Background Requirements for Transportation Security Officer Applicants, Transportation Security Administration · checked October 28, 2026
Screening Partnership Program, Transportation Security Administration · checked October 28, 2026
TSA Myth Busters: Do TSA Officers Arrest Passengers?, Transportation Security Administration · checked October 28, 2026
Transportation Security Screeners (33-9093.00), O*NET OnLine · checked October 28, 2026
TSA encourages residents of Pitkin County to join the agency as security screening officers at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, Transportation Security Administration · checked October 28, 2026

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