Protective Service
Crossing Guards and Flaggers
Guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as streets, schools, railroad crossings, or construction sites.
Also called: Adult Crossing Guard, Community Service Officer, Crossing Guard, Road Crossing Guard, School Crossing Guard, Substitute Crossing Guard
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $44,840
- $21.56/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 1,010
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +3.1%
- 250 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- No formal educational credential
- plus Short-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $36,560 | $40,130 | $44,840 | $63,340 | $92,680 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d 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.
- 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.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Moderate exposure37 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 30
- Language-model AIOE 35
- GPTs-are-GPTs 45
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
This job has moderate AI exposure, but there is little or no observed AI use in it today. Tools might help with watching traffic flow, but the core work is physical and in person: stopping traffic, escorting people across streets, and signaling to drivers.
Likely to change
- Monitoring traffic flow for safe gaps
- Sharing crossing rules and updates
Still relies on people
- Escorting students and adults across streets
- Stopping traffic with signs and hand signals
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
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Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Related occupations
Talk to a career coach
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