Crossing Guards and Flaggers
Also called: Adult Crossing Guard, Community Service Officer, Crossing Guard, School Crossing GuardGuide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as streets, schools, railroad crossings, or construction sites.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 12 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 3.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 7.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 48% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $29,190 | $21,300 to $34,430 | 250 |
| Arizona | $37,440 | $32,400 to $37,600 | 2,170 |
| Arkansas | $30,830 | $27,790 to $32,430 | not published |
| California | $50,610 | $38,010 to $75,130 | 9,390 |
| Colorado | $37,620 | $35,540 to $44,790 | 2,810 |
| Connecticut | $41,950 | $35,900 to $71,320 | 1,670 |
| Delaware | $36,500 | $34,600 to $37,460 | 580 |
| District of Columbia | $40,800 | $37,000 to $43,690 | 520 |
| Florida | $35,730 | $31,470 to $37,180 | 5,690 |
| Georgia | $34,230 | $30,570 to $36,970 | 2,030 |
| Hawaii | $42,780 | $36,280 to $53,420 | 230 |
| Idaho | $40,060 | $37,580 to $44,230 | 470 |
| Illinois | $38,990 | $34,400 to $46,110 | 2,240 |
| Indiana | $37,440 | $34,750 to $46,650 | 2,230 |
| Iowa | $41,240 | $37,750 to $44,200 | 170 |
| Kansas | $35,440 | $30,560 to $39,420 | 180 |
| Kentucky | $34,450 | $32,380 to $36,000 | 420 |
| Louisiana | $25,450 | $15,080 to $34,430 | 440 |
| Maine | $40,140 | $38,150 to $44,280 | 1,140 |
| Maryland | $35,850 | $34,510 to $42,970 | 3,420 |
| Massachusetts | $43,460 | $37,000 to $76,280 | 1,700 |
| Michigan | $36,540 | $31,460 to $44,690 | 2,150 |
| Minnesota | $48,100 | $37,790 to $57,440 | 260 |
| Missouri | $33,560 | $31,620 to $36,550 | 150 |
| Montana | $32,600 | $30,230 to $55,510 | 70 |
| Nebraska | $37,990 | $33,080 to $38,800 | 110 |
| Nevada | $31,480 | $26,770 to $36,150 | 1,500 |
| New Hampshire | $45,980 | $38,210 to $46,210 | 440 |
| New Jersey | $41,600 | $36,770 to $46,160 | 7,270 |
| New Mexico | $31,460 | $31,460 to $31,510 | 510 |
| New York | $44,730 | $38,100 to $54,000 | 10,430 |
| North Carolina | $33,730 | $31,200 to $35,430 | 2,760 |
| North Dakota | $60,230 | $53,540 to $61,620 | 50 |
| Ohio | $37,440 | $33,030 to $59,420 | 2,700 |
| Oklahoma | $28,610 | $25,020 to $30,240 | 130 |
| Oregon | $47,110 | $40,160 to $65,070 | 2,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,810 | $34,430 to $44,740 | 9,410 |
| Puerto Rico | $31,460 | $31,460 to $31,460 | not published |
| Rhode Island | $31,200 | $31,200 to $57,620 | not published |
| South Carolina | $32,690 | $29,390 to $36,790 | 1,050 |
| South Dakota | $46,940 | $30,390 to $49,680 | 60 |
| Tennessee | $35,960 | $32,760 to $42,710 | 1,460 |
| Texas | $33,350 | $28,510 to $38,160 | 2,830 |
| Utah | $35,480 | $31,200 to $37,440 | 1,890 |
| Vermont | $45,410 | $45,140 to $46,410 | 340 |
| Virginia | $37,560 | $34,710 to $42,990 | 1,940 |
| Washington | $48,940 | $45,030 to $63,290 | 3,340 |
| West Virginia | $32,800 | $30,290 to $44,110 | 1,190 |
| Wisconsin | $35,580 | $32,450 to $44,840 | 990 |
| Wyoming | $47,070 | $35,970 to $47,070 | 160 |
Nationally: $38,100. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 12 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Direct or escort pedestrians across streets, stopping traffic, as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as street and railroad crossings and construction sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Communicate traffic and crossing rules and other information to students and adults. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor traffic flow to locate safe gaps through which pedestrians can cross streets. | Not published |
| AI + software | Report unsafe behavior of children to school officials. | Not published |
| AI + software | Direct traffic movement or warn of hazards, using signs, flags, lanterns, and hand signals. | Not published |
See all 12 tasks
| AI + software | Record license numbers of vehicles disregarding traffic signals, and report infractions to appropriate authorities. | Not published |
| Not much | Learn the location and purpose of street traffic signs within assigned patrol areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Stop speeding vehicles to warn drivers of traffic laws. | Not published |
| AI + software | Discuss traffic routing plans and control-point locations with superiors. | Not published |
| AI + software | Inform drivers of detour routes through construction sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Distribute traffic control signs and markers at designated points. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 12 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 12 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Direct vehicle traffic | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Position tools or equipment |
Show all 10 activities
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties | |||
| Record information about legal matters |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for crossing guards and flaggers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,747 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 7%
- 2 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 6%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 5,441 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 2 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 5%
- 3 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Low +2.2% 4%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
- 5 Receptionists and Information Clerks Very high -1.7% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 18% less than high school
- 73% high school
- 3% postsecondary certificate
- 6% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 35 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 11% less than high school
- 49% high school
- 22% some college
- 8% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 681 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/33-9091.00