Parking Attendants earn a median of $35,150 per year ($16.90/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 2.0% through 2035, with about 16,400 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
- SOC 53-6021
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Parking Attendant in four numbers
- Median pay
- $35,150a year, or $16.90/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $27KTop 10% $45K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +2.0%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 16,400139,200 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025139.2K
- Projected 2035142K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 139.2K Projected 2035 142K - Typical education
- No formal credentialneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school38.3%
- High school60.8%
- Bachelor's1%
Highest education held by parking attendants Segment Value Less than high school 38.3% High school 60.8% Bachelor's 1%
Also advertised as: Hiker, Parking Attendant, Parking Cashier, Parking Lot Attendant, Parking Ramp Attendant, Valet Attendant.
Pay
How much do Parking Attendants make?
Every parking attendant in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$35,150
Middle half earn $29,960 to $37,670
- 10th
- $27,040
- 25th
- $29,960
- 75th
- $37,670
- 90th
- $44,550
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $27,040 |
| 25th | $29,960 |
| Median | $35,150 |
| 75th | $37,670 |
| 90th | $44,550 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $35,150
- Median hourly wage
- $16.90/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $34,990
- People employed
- 137,880
Versus all US occupations
At $35,150, Parking Attendants earn 31% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $15,830 a year.
Versus transportation and material moving occupations
Inside the Transportation and Material Moving group, where the middle occupation pays $62,840, this is 44% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $44,550 or more while the bottom 10% earn $27,040, a gap of 1.6×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 1% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $43,180, and still leads at $40,350 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Parking Attendants the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $43,180 | $40,350 | 2,860 |
| 2Colorado | $39,330 | $38,165 | 1,390 |
| 3Oregon | $38,730 | $37,471 | 1,300 |
| 4Vermont | $38,160 | $38,955 | 90 |
| 5California | $38,060 | $34,375 | 21,290 |
| 6Massachusetts | $37,360 | $35,326 | 3,330 |
| 7District of Columbia | $37,220 | $33,867 | 1,900 |
| 8Illinois | $36,730 | $36,745 | 5,320 |
| 9Alaska | $36,580 | $35,737 | 90 |
| 10New Hampshire | $36,010 | $34,570 | 320 |
Job outlook
Is Parking Attendant a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +2.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Parking Attendants | +2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Parking Attendants to change 2.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 2,800 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 16,400 openings are projected each year, 11.8% of the 139,200 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Parking Attendant
- 1
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as parking attendants.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)60.8%
- Less than a High School Diploma38.3%
- Bachelor's Degree1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 60.8% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 38.3% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Parking Attendant do?
Park vehicles or issue tickets for customers in a parking lot or garage. May park or tend vehicles in environments such as a car dealership or rental car facility. May collect fee.
Day-to-day tasks
- Explain and calculate parking charges, collect fees from customers, and respond to customer complaints.
- Keep parking areas clean and orderly to ensure that space usage is maximized.
- Provide customer assistance and information, such as giving directions or handling wheelchairs.
- Inspect vehicles to detect any damage.
- Take numbered tags from customers, locate vehicles, and deliver vehicles, or provide customers with instructions for locating vehicles.
- Issue ticket stubs or place numbered tags on windshields, log tags or attach tag to customers' keys, and give customers matching tags for locating parked vehicles.
- Perform cash handling tasks, such as making change, balancing and recording cash drawer, or distributing tips.
- Call emergency responders or the proper authorities and provide motorist assistance, such as giving directions or helping jump start a stalled vehicle.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Speaking3.5
- Active Listening3.3
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Writing2.8
- Mathematics2.8
- Monitoring2.8
- Reading Comprehension2.5
- Active Learning2.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaking | 3.5 |
| Active Listening | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.9 |
| Writing | 2.8 |
| Mathematics | 2.8 |
| Monitoring | 2.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.5 |
| Active Learning | 2.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Service Orientation3.4
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Coordination2.8
- Judgment and Decision Making2.8
- Operation and Control2.6
- Complex Problem Solving2.5
- Negotiation2.4
- Instructing2.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 3.4 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 2.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.8 |
| Operation and Control | 2.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.5 |
| Negotiation | 2.4 |
| Instructing | 2.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Point of sale POS software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Parking Attendant?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Parking Attendant |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 1 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic5.6
- Conventional5.1
- Enterprising3.1
- Social3.0
- Artistic1.1
- Investigative1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Parking Attendant
O*NET related occupations
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Protective Service
- Personal Care and Service
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Sales and Related
- Transportation and Material Moving
More transportation and material moving careers
Median annual pay, with parking attendants highlighted
- Airline Pilot$232,140
- Commercial Pilot$123,220
- Locomotive Engineer$81,410
- Railroad Conductor and Yardmaster$78,000
- Crane and Tower Operator$68,080
- Flight Attendant$63,580
- Truck Driver$58,640
- Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector$49,690
- Parking Attendant$35,150
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Airline Pilot | $232,140 |
| Commercial Pilot | $123,220 |
| Locomotive Engineer | $81,410 |
| Railroad Conductor and Yardmaster | $78,000 |
| Crane and Tower Operator | $68,080 |
| Flight Attendant | $63,580 |
| Truck Driver | $58,640 |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector | $49,690 |
| Parking Attendant | $35,150 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Parking Attendant appears on
Questions
Parking Attendant: frequently asked questions
How much do Parking Attendants make?
Parking Attendants earn a median of $35,150 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 31% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $16.90/hr. The middle half earn between $29,960 and $37,670. The top 10% earn $44,550 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Parking Attendant?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Parking Attendants, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 60.8% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Parking Attendant a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 2.0% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 16,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Parking Attendant do?
Park vehicles or issue tickets for customers in a parking lot or garage. A core O*NET task: explain and calculate parking charges, collect fees from customers, and respond to customer complaints. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Spreadsheet software.
Which states pay Parking Attendants the most?
The highest state medians for Parking Attendants are Washington ($43,180), Colorado ($39,330), Oregon ($38,730) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Parking Attendant?
O*NET scores Parking Attendants highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ISTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.