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Customs and Border Protection Officers in South Carolina

Considering working as a Customs and Border Protection Officers in South Carolina? Here’s what you need to know. Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.

$58,020 Median Annual Wage (South Carolina)

$50,191 National Median Annual Wage

12,820 South Carolina Employment

Medium Preparation Needed Typical Preparation

What do Customs and Border Protection Officers Make in South Carolina?

For a customs and border protection officers working in South Carolina, wages run about $58,020 per year (or roughly $27.90/hour).Annual wages span from $43,640 at the 10th percentile to $78,590 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$43,640	$20.98
25th percentile	$49,140	$23.63
Median (50th)	$58,020	$27.90
75th percentile	$67,200	$32.31
90th percentile	$78,590	$37.78

Salary ranges for Customs and Border Protection Officers in South Carolina

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in South Carolina nationwide is 1.30, meaning that customs and border protection officers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, customs and border protection officers earn a median of $50,191 per year ($24.13/hour), above the South Carolina median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 353,771 customs and border protection officers nationwide. In South Carolina alone, about 12,820 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 8,920 customs and border protection officers.

Forecasted number of jobs for Customs and Border Protection Officers

Top South Carolina Metros for Customs and Border Protection Officers

These are the South Carolina metros with the most customs and border protection officers in South Carolina.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Columbia, SC	2,700	$60,750
Charleston-North Charleston, SC	2,340	$60,250
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC	1,970	$55,230
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC	760	$62,800
Spartanburg, SC	660	$57,710
Florence, SC	530	$49,940
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC	520	$60,150
Sumter, SC	190	$52,030

Top States for Customs and Border Protection Officers Employment

View the states that employ the most customs and border protection officers work.

State	Number Employed
California	65,170
Texas	62,230
New York	54,360
Florida	48,340
Illinois	29,790
Pennsylvania	24,280
Ohio	24,050
North Carolina	21,650
New Jersey	21,620
Georgia	21,540
Virginia	19,400
Massachusetts	17,000
Michigan	16,290
Louisiana	14,340
Tennessee	13,780
Indiana	13,480
South Carolina	12,820
Missouri	12,750
Arizona	12,430
Alabama	12,060

Highest-Paying States for Customs and Border Protection Officers

Where customs and border protection officers earn the most: customs and border protection officers.

State	Annual Median Salary
California	$115,400
Washington	$102,640
Illinois	$101,530
Alaska	$100,300
Colorado	$96,100
New York	$93,050
Hawaii	$89,390
New Jersey	$89,030
District of Columbia	$88,330
Oregon	$88,140

Skills

Top customs and border protection officers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Active Listening 4.0 / 5

Speaking 4.0 / 5

Critical Thinking 4.0 / 5

Reading Comprehension 3.9 / 5

Social Perceptiveness 3.9 / 5

Monitoring 3.6 / 5

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Law and Government 4.5 / 5

Public Safety and Security 4.3 / 5

English Language 3.9 / 5

Customer and Personal Service 3.6 / 5

Psychology 3.4 / 5

Administrative 3.2 / 5

Abilities

Top abilities for customs and border protection officers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Near Vision 4.0 / 5

Oral Expression 4.0 / 5

Oral Comprehension 4.0 / 5

Inductive Reasoning 4.0 / 5

Problem Sensitivity 4.0 / 5

Deductive Reasoning 3.9 / 5

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

Examine immigration applications, visas, and passports and interview persons to determine eligibility for admission, residence, and travel in the U.S.
Detain persons found to be in violation of customs or immigration laws and arrange for legal action, such as deportation.
Inspect cargo, baggage, and personal articles entering or leaving U.S. for compliance with revenue laws and U.S. customs regulations.
Locate and seize contraband, undeclared merchandise, and vehicles, aircraft, or boats that contain such merchandise.
Interpret and explain laws and regulations to travelers, prospective immigrants, shippers, and manufacturers.
Institute civil and criminal prosecutions and cooperate with other law enforcement agencies in the investigation and prosecution of those in violation of immigration or customs laws.
Testify regarding decisions at immigration appeals or in federal court.
Record and report job-related activities, findings, transactions, violations, discrepancies, and decisions.
Determine duty and taxes to be paid on goods.
Collect samples of merchandise for examination, appraisal, or testing.
Investigate applications for duty refunds and petition for remission or mitigation of penalties when warranted.

Work Activities

Getting Information
Working with Computers
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
Processing Information
Analyzing Data or Information
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Documenting/Recording Information

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: IBM WebSphere MQ

Other careers like customs and border protection officers include:

Also Known As

Agriculture Specialist, Air Import Specialist, Border Patrol Agent, Canine Enforcement Officer (K-9 Enforcement Officer), Customs Import Specialist, Customs Inspector, Customs Officer, Customs Opener, Customs Packer, Customs Specialist, Customs Verifier, Customs and Border Patrol Agent, Deportation Officer, Drug Enforcement Agent, Drug Inspector.

References

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
O*NET-SOC code: 33-3051.04

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