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Career

Crossing Guards and Flaggers

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

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

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $38,100 Median per year · $18.32/hr Most earn $30,840–$61,690

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • 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.
  • Direct traffic movement or warn of hazards, using signs, flags, lanterns, and hand signals.
  • Inform drivers of detour routes through construction sites.
  • Direct traffic movement or warn of hazards, using signs, flags, lanterns, and hand signals.
  • Discuss traffic routing plans and control-point locations with superiors.

Job outlook

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 17,300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Other support services39.8%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals36.5%
  • Elementary and secondary schools6.9%
  • Temporary help services5.8%
  • Highway, street, and bridge construction3.0%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: None

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: NoneEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. Most people need only a high school diploma and no prior work experience to start as a crossing guard.

  1. High school diploma

    About 4 years of high school

    A diploma is the usual education requirement, so finishing high school is the main first step into this job.

  2. Crossing Guard

    Start right after high school

    You can apply directly for this job with a diploma and no prior experience. You guide people across streets, often near schools, and this is the career itself.

Where it can lead

  1. Security Guard

    1 to 3 months of experience first

    Security guards watch over property and people, which builds on the alertness and public-contact skills you use as a crossing guard. Moving up here typically needs only a short amount of prior experience.

  2. Transit and Railroad Police

    6 months to 1 year of experience first

    This role involves law enforcement on transit systems and railways and usually requires a certificate or apprenticeship on top of work experience. It is a more senior step that builds on public safety experience.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and English classes seriouslyA strong high school diploma is the main requirement for this job, so good grades help you finish and qualify.
  • Volunteer as a school safety helper or hall monitorHelping keep others safe gives you real experience with the public-facing side of this work.
  • Get a part-time job that involves customers or the publicJobs like retail or food service build the comfort with people and calm communication that crossing guards use daily.
  • Take a first aid or CPR classMany schools and community centers offer these, and they show employers you can respond calmly in an emergency.

In college

  • Take courses in communication or public speakingClear, calm communication with drivers, pedestrians, and children is central to this job and to the roles you could move into.
  • Get a part-time or campus job working with the publicCampus jobs at a front desk or in events show employers you can handle people and situations well.
  • Join a student safety or emergency response groupClubs focused on campus safety build teamwork and awareness that transfer to security and public safety roles.
  • Earn a first aid or CPR certificationA short certification is inexpensive and useful for many jobs that involve keeping people safe.
  • Explore a criminal justice or public safety courseIf you want to move toward roles like security or transit police, these classes give background on the field.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask your local school or city whether crossing guard jobs are posted, since many are part-time and fit around a school schedule.
  • Practice clear, calm communication and staying alert around traffic, because these are the core skills employers look for in this job.
  • Get a basic first aid or CPR class if you can, since it makes you a stronger candidate for roles that involve public safety.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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