Also called: Air Marshal
Flies undercover on commercial airplanes to protect passengers from hijackings and attacks.
Air marshals blend in with passengers, sitting in regular seats while watching for threats. They may take several flights a day. Firearms qualification standards are among the toughest in federal law enforcement.
Federal GS/GL pay plus 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) and locality pay.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's or experience; FLETC and air marshal training.
Ways in: 4-year college, Military. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice.
Growing slowly. No separate BLS projection; hiring depends on federal budgets.
Low risk for 10 years. Passenger-screening data helps pick flights; blending in and responding to an attack in the air stay human.
Classes: PE / fitness, Psychology, A foreign language.
Official data: O*NET occupation 33-3051.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.