Parking Enforcement Workers earn a median of $46,730 per year ($22.47/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 1.1% through 2035, with about 800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 33-3041
- Protective Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Parking Enforcement Worker in four numbers
- Median pay
- $46,730a year, or $22.47/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $35KTop 10% $75K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- -1.1%DecliningBLS EP, 2025–2035This career−1.1%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career −1.1% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 8009,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20259.4K
- Projected 20359.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 9.4K Projected 2035 9.3K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Meter Maid, Parking Control Officer, Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO), Parking Enforcement Technician (Parking Enforcement Tech), Parking Enforcer, Parking Officer.
Pay
How much do Parking Enforcement Workers make?
Every parking enforcement worker in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$46,730
Middle half earn $39,870 to $60,490
- 10th
- $35,130
- 25th
- $39,870
- 75th
- $60,490
- 90th
- $75,340
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $35,130 |
| 25th | $39,870 |
| Median | $46,730 |
| 75th | $60,490 |
| 90th | $75,340 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $46,730
- Median hourly wage
- $22.47/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $51,190
- People employed
- 9,050
Versus all US occupations
At $46,730, Parking Enforcement Workers earn 8% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $4,250 a year.
Versus protective service occupations
Inside the Protective Service group, where the middle occupation pays $74,060, this is 37% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $75,340 or more while the bottom 10% earn $35,130, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 15% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $68,120, and still leads at $63,656 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Parking Enforcement Workers 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 | $68,120 | $63,656 | 190 |
| 2California | $62,280 | $56,250 | 1,710 |
| 3Oregon | $59,810 | $57,865 | 80 |
| 4Nevada | $55,040 | $55,052 | 40 |
| 5Utah | $52,670 | $53,275 | 70 |
| 6Massachusetts | $51,980 | $49,150 | 300 |
| 7New Hampshire | $51,580 | $49,518 | 70 |
| 8Wisconsin | $49,060 | $52,139 | 150 |
| 9Ohio | $48,510 | $52,288 | 110 |
| 10Colorado | $47,910 | $46,491 | 100 |
Job outlook
Is Parking Enforcement Worker a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Declining. -1.1% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Parking Enforcement Workers | −1.1% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Declining
BLS projects employment of Parking Enforcement Workers to change -1.1% over 2025–2035, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.5%. That is 100 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 800 openings are projected each year, 8.5% of the 9,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Parking Enforcement Worker
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 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.
The work
What does a Parking Enforcement Worker do?
Patrol assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles.
Day-to-day tasks
- Write warnings and citations for illegally parked vehicles.
- Maintain assigned equipment and supplies, such as hand-held citation computers, citation books, rain gear, tire-marking chalk, and street cones.
- Maintain close communications with dispatching personnel, using two-way radios or cell phones.
- Observe and report hazardous conditions, such as missing traffic signals or signs, and street markings that need to be repainted.
- Patrol an assigned area by vehicle or on foot to ensure public compliance with existing parking ordinance.
- Identify vehicles in violation of parking codes, checking with dispatchers when necessary to confirm identities or to determine whether vehicles need to be booted or towed.
- Respond to and make radio dispatch calls regarding parking violations and complaints.
- Provide information to the public regarding parking regulations and facilities, and the location of streets, buildings and points of interest.
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 dayOutdoors in all weather at least weekly.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-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 dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
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
- Speaking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Listening3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Writing2.8
- Active Learning2.6
- Learning Strategies2.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.9 |
| Writing | 2.8 |
| Active Learning | 2.6 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Coordination2.9
- Service Orientation2.9
- Persuasion2.8
- Negotiation2.8
- Complex Problem Solving2.8
- Judgment and Decision Making2.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 2.9 |
| Service Orientation | 2.9 |
| Persuasion | 2.8 |
| Negotiation | 2.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Internet browser 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 Enforcement Worker?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Parking Enforcement Worker |
|---|---|
| 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.
- Realistic6.4
- Conventional5.1
- Enterprising3.3
- Social2.6
- Investigative1.4
- Artistic1.0
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 Enforcement Worker
O*NET related occupations
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Protective Service
- Protective Service
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Construction and Extraction
More protective service careers
Median annual pay, with parking enforcement workers highlighted
- Detective and Criminal Investigator$93,790
- Intelligence Analyst$93,790
- Police Officer$76,210
- Custom and Border Protection Officer$76,210
- Firefighter$59,280
- Correctional Officer and Jailer$58,940
- Private Detective and Investigator$51,220
- Parking Enforcement Worker$46,730
- Security Guard$38,020
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $93,790 |
| Intelligence Analyst | $93,790 |
| Police Officer | $76,210 |
| Custom and Border Protection Officer | $76,210 |
| Firefighter | $59,280 |
| Correctional Officer and Jailer | $58,940 |
| Private Detective and Investigator | $51,220 |
| Parking Enforcement Worker | $46,730 |
| Security Guard | $38,020 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Parking Enforcement Worker appears on
Questions
Parking Enforcement Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Parking Enforcement Workers make?
Parking Enforcement Workers earn a median of $46,730 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 8% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $22.47/hr. The middle half earn between $39,870 and $60,490. The top 10% earn $75,340 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Parking Enforcement Worker?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Parking Enforcement Workers. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training.
Is Parking Enforcement Worker a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 1.1% over 2025–2035, a loss of 100 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Parking Enforcement Worker do?
Patrol assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles. A core O*NET task: write warnings and citations for illegally parked vehicles. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Parking Enforcement Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Parking Enforcement Workers are Washington ($68,120), California ($62,280), Oregon ($59,810) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Parking Enforcement Worker?
O*NET scores Parking Enforcement Workers 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 ISTJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.