Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Security Guards
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Customs and Border Protection Officers and Security Guards on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Customs and Border Protection Officers | Security Guards |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $76,290 | $38,370 |
| Employment | 666,990 | 1,241,770 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | About average (+3.1%) | About average (+0.4%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 53,700 | 161,000 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. | Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | Moderate · 47th pct | Moderate · 45th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 48th pct · 26% of tasks | 34th pct · 20% of tasks |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | — | — |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | No | No |
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.
Skills
Shared: Law and Government, Public Safety and Security, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Near Vision, English Language, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Speech Clarity, Speech Recognition, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Active Learning, Coordination, Information Ordering, Flexibility of Closure, Selective Attention, Far Vision, Administrative, Computers and Electronics, Persuasion, Education and Training, Foreign Language, Service Orientation.
Specific to Customs and Border Protection Officers
- Writing
- Written Expression
- Perceptual Speed
- Geography
- Complex Problem Solving
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Negotiation
Specific to Security Guards
- Administration and Management
- Telecommunications
- Therapy and Counseling
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Communications and Media
- Transportation
- Personnel and Human Resources
Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).
Tools & technology
Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Word processing software .
Specific to Customs and Border Protection Officers
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Customs and Border Protection Officers or Security Guards — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.
More comparisons
Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.
- Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Customs Brokers
- Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Detectives and Criminal Investigators
- Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
- Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Compliance Officers
- Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Transit and Railroad Police
- Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Transportation Security Screeners
- Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Private Detectives and Investigators
- Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Cargo and Freight Agents
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Security Guards." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/customs-and-border-protection-officers-vs-security-guards
Singulariki. (2026). Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Security Guards. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/customs-and-border-protection-officers-vs-security-guards
@misc{singulariki-customs-and-border-protection-officers-vs-security-guards,
title = {Customs and Border Protection Officers vs Security Guards},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/compare/customs-and-border-protection-officers-vs-security-guards}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.