Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 53-6031

Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

Median pay sits 56% below the mid peer in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (neighbors include Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, Locomotive Engineers, Subway and Streetcar Operators).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232K) , Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers ($62K) , Locomotive Engineers ($81K) , Subway and Streetcar Operators ($86K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-6031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Collect cash payments from customers, and make change or charge purchases to customers' credit cards, providing customers with receipts
  2. 2. Check tire pressure and levels of fuel, motor oil, transmission, radiator, battery, or other fluids, adding air or fluids as required
  3. 3. Prepare daily reports of fuel, oil, and accessory sales
  4. 4. Perform minor repairs, such as adjusting brakes, replacing spark plugs, or changing engine oil or filters
  5. 5. Clean windshields
  6. 6. Clean parking areas, offices, restrooms, or equipment, and remove trash
  7. 7. Order stock, and price and shelve incoming goods
  8. 8. Activate fuel pumps and fill fuel tanks of vehicles with gasoline or diesel fuel to specified levels
  9. 9. Sell and install accessories, such as batteries, windshield wiper blades, fan belts, bulbs, or headlamps
  10. 10. Grease and lubricate vehicles or specified units, such as springs, universal joints, or steering knuckles, using grease guns or spray lub…
  11. 11. Test and charge batteries
  12. 12. Rotate, test, and repair or replace tires

Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-6031 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.1 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.1
  2. 2. Speaking 3.1
  3. 3. Service Orientation 3.1
  4. 4. Operation and Control 3.1
  5. 5. Time Management 3.1
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.0
  7. 7. Coordination 3.0
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.6
  2. 2. Mechanical 4.4
  3. 3. Sales and Marketing 4.0
  4. 4. Administration and Management 3.8
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.3
  6. 6. Administrative 3.0
Pay vs Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers
-56%
vs mid peer median $81,410
This role $35,670/yr
$36K
National median
↓ -1%
Growth 2024-2034
14,400
Annual openings
102,010
Estimated US jobs
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $232K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

1. California $41,770
2. Vermont $38,700
3. District of Columbia $41,750
4. Alaska $41,590
5. Connecticut $41,600
6. Washington $39,440
7. Hawaii $43,630
8. Rhode Island $41,690
9. New Hampshire $40,030
10. Montana $38,700

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Locomotive Engineers $81,410
  2. 2. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
  3. 3. Commercial Pilots $123,220
  4. 4. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
  5. 5. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
  6. 6. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770

Among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers on this card, Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants sits 56% below the mid peer median ($81,410). Its own median is $35,670.

Employment Projections expect -1% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 14,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $41,770. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $232,140. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants pay-rank #48 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

On the Transportation and Material Moving Occupations median table (50 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants lands at #48, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 53-6031 · national median $35,670 · lower third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#48/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-6031

California · top state for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

$42K published median

Vermont · #2 state pay

$39K · behind California

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants · $232K

Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers

Lower-pay peer beside Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants · $62K

Compare Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

Against another occupation

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants land on the Transportation and Material Moving Occupations median table? ▼
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants is pay-rank #48 of 50 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment ($36K), Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians ($35K), Parking Attendants ($35K), Packers and Packagers, Hand ($36K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do automotive and watercraft service attendants do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants. Leading ones include: Collect cash payments from customers, and make change or charge purchases to customers' credit cards, providing customers with receipts; Check tire pressure and levels of fuel, motor oil, transmission, radiator, battery, or other fluids, adding air or fluids as required; Prepare daily reports of fuel, oil, and accessory sales; Perform minor repairs, such as adjusting brakes, replacing spark plugs, or changing engine oil or filters. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for automotive and watercraft service attendants? ▼
For SOC 53-6031, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.1), Speaking (3.1), Service Orientation (3.1), Operation and Control (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Sales and Marketing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,670 as the national median for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants. The published 10th-90th range is $28,630 to $46,060. Beside Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232,140), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants is -1%. Projected annual openings: about 14,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants? ▼
California ($41,770), Vermont ($38,700), District of Columbia ($41,750) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-6031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics