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Crossing Guards and Flaggers

Crossing Guards and Flaggers: Career Profile

Guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as streets, schools, railroad crossings, or construction sites.

The Daily Work of Crossing Guards and Flaggers Perform?

Typical responsibilities of crossing guards and flaggers cover:

  • Direct or escort pedestrians across streets, stopping traffic, as necessary.
  • Guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as street and railroad crossings and construction sites.
  • Monitor traffic flow to locate safe gaps through which pedestrians can cross streets.
  • Communicate traffic and crossing rules and other information to students and adults.
  • Direct traffic movement or warn of hazards, using signs, flags, lanterns, and hand signals.
  • Report unsafe behavior of children to school officials.
  • Record license numbers of vehicles disregarding traffic signals, and report infractions to appropriate authorities.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Effective crossing guards and flaggers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking  3.1 / 5
0
5
Social Perceptiveness  3.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  2.9 / 5
0
5
Monitoring  2.9 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  2.8 / 5
0
5
Judgment and Decision Making  2.8 / 5
0
5

Core Knowledge

Public Safety and Security  3.9 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  3.2 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.1 / 5
0
5
Law and Government  2.4 / 5
0
5
Psychology  2.4 / 5
0
5
Education and Training  2.0 / 5
0
5

Types of Crossing Guards and Flaggers Jobs

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

  • Adult Crossing Guard
  • Campus Supervisor
  • Community Service Officer
  • Construction Site Crossing Guard
  • Crossing Flagman
  • Crossing Gateman
  • Crossing Guard
  • Crossing Tender

Employment and Demand

There are roughly 181,969 crossing guards and flaggers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +10.8% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Crossing Guards and Flaggers

Salary for Crossing Guards and Flaggers

Statistic Value
Annual median $58,496
Hourly median $28.12
10th percentile $36,789
25th percentile $47,642
75th percentile $69,349
90th percentile $80,203

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Crossing Guards and Flaggers

Crossing Guards and Flaggers Salary by State

State Annual median salary
North Dakota $60,940
Washington $59,680
Hawaii $53,940
South Dakota $50,260
California $49,310
Minnesota $48,590
Oregon $47,140
Vermont $45,670
New Hampshire $44,960
New York $44,180
Rhode Island $42,930
Montana $42,300
New Jersey $42,270
Maine $42,130
Massachusetts $41,010
Idaho $40,000
District of Columbia $39,610
Iowa $39,380
Illinois $38,820
Connecticut $38,490
Tennessee $37,770
Colorado $37,660
Virginia $37,360
Nebraska $37,240
Wisconsin $36,780
Wyoming $36,400
Maryland $36,270
Pennsylvania $36,240
Delaware $36,120
Indiana $36,100
Florida $35,480
North Carolina $35,290
Ohio $34,850
Georgia $34,850
Utah $34,480
Arizona $34,020
Kentucky $33,870
Missouri $33,190
Nevada $32,860
Texas $32,730
Kansas $32,720
South Carolina $32,480
West Virginia $31,800
Michigan $31,200
New Mexico $31,110
Arkansas $30,590
Mississippi $30,160
Oklahoma $28,300
Alabama $25,480
Louisiana $22,980

Top-Paying U.S. Regions

Pay for crossing guards and flaggers vary by region. The following regions pay the most:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $50,653 15.7% 1.15
Plains States $41,823 1.3% 0.20
New England $41,130 6.0% 1.65
Middle Atlantic $40,248 33.4% 2.27
Rocky Mountains $36,877 5.0% 1.33
Great Lakes $35,757 10.9% 0.83
Southeast $34,949 20.2% 1.08
Southwest $32,861 7.5% 0.67

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Crossing Guards and Flaggers

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Charleston-North Charleston, SC SC $99,060 160
Athens-Clarke County, GA GA $82,400 30
Vallejo, CA CA $80,720 210
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA WA $66,410 60
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA WA $64,060 420
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA WA $63,510 40
Bellingham, WA WA $61,280 40
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA CA $61,170 440

Top Industries Employing Crossing Guards and Flaggers

The bulk of crossing guards and flaggers are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 38,570 $37,740
Educational Services 7,540 $34,950
Construction 6,090 $46,840
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 910 $35,330
Transportation and Warehousing 690 $33,190
Other Services (except Public Administration) 510 $35,890
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 200 $29,590
Manufacturing 170 $42,680
Crossing Guards and Flaggers sectors

Below are examples of industries where crossing guards and flaggers work:

Crossing Guards and Flaggers industries

Tech Stack

  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

Work Environment

The work environment for crossing guards and flaggers tends to involve the following characteristics:

  • Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
  • Spend Time Standing
  • Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
  • Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
  • Exposed to Contaminants

Getting Started in This Career

Typical crossing guards and flaggers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

References

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 33-9091.00 (Crossing Guards and Flaggers).

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