Protective Service
Lifeguards & Ski Patrol
SOC 33-9092
Watch over swimmers or slopes and respond fast when things go wrong.
The job
Median pay
$34k
$29k to $38k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+5.5% projected
Openings a year
45k
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
7/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
30th pct
More exposed than 30% of occupations · modeled estimate · 7th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
51/100
Key skills
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 22,620 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $43k |
| Texas | 11,320 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $29k |
| Florida | 9,460 | 1.0 | 0.9× | $35k |
| Virginia | 8,920 | 2.2 | 2.1× | $30k |
| New York | 8,740 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $37k |
| Ohio | 6,450 | 1.2 | 1.1× | $28k |
| Illinois | 5,880 | 1.0 | 0.9× | $34k |
| New Jersey | 5,460 | 1.3 | 1.3× | $35k |
| Pennsylvania | 5,450 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $29k |
| Colorado | 5,430 | 1.9 | 1.9× | $36k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 4,850 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $27k |
| Washington | 4,720 | 1.3 | 1.3× | $38k |
| Maryland | 4,160 | 1.5 | 1.5× | $35k |
| Arizona | 3,950 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $35k |
| Michigan | 3,770 | 0.9 | 0.8× | $30k |
| Wisconsin | 3,350 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $29k |
| Indiana | 3,290 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $29k |
| Missouri | 3,100 | 1.1 | 1.0× | $29k |
| Georgia | 2,840 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $31k |
| Massachusetts | 2,640 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $37k |
| Nevada | 2,630 | 1.7 | 1.7× | $31k |
| Utah | 2,550 | 1.5 | 1.4× | $29k |
| Tennessee | 2,330 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $28k |
| Minnesota | 2,130 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $32k |
| South Carolina | 1,900 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $26k |
| Oregon | 1,860 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $35k |
| Kentucky | 1,820 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $29k |
| Kansas | 1,750 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $27k |
| Connecticut | 1,510 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $36k |
| Iowa | 1,410 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $25k |
| Nebraska | 1,250 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $29k |
| Alabama | 1,080 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $28k |
| New Mexico | 760 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $29k |
| Idaho | 750 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $29k |
| Hawaii | 720 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $53k |
| Louisiana | 660 | 0.3 | 0.3× | $22k |
| Oklahoma | 650 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $25k |
| North Dakota | 580 | 1.4 | 1.3× | $28k |
| Arkansas | 530 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $27k |
| Wyoming | 500 | 1.8 | 1.8× | $29k |
| South Dakota | 490 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $31k |
| West Virginia | 450 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $25k |
| Rhode Island | 370 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $36k |
| Delaware | 360 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $32k |
| Alaska | 340 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $35k |
| Maine | 340 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $34k |
| Mississippi | 330 | 0.3 | 0.3× | $24k |
| Vermont | 310 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $36k |
| Washington DC | 290 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $60k |
| New Hampshire | 280 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $32k |
| Montana | 270 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $38k |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA11,640 jobs · $44k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ9,610 jobs · $37k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN4,960 jobs · $34k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV4,600 jobs · $35k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX3,930 jobs · $30k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA3,060 jobs · $39k median
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL2,980 jobs · $31k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD2,980 jobs · $32k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Lifeguards & Ski Patrol interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.