Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 53-6021

Parking Attendants

Median pay sits 57% below the mid peer in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (neighbors include Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators, Flight Attendants).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Parking Attendants: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232K) , Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers ($62K) , Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators ($77K) , Flight Attendants ($64K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Parking Attendants publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-6021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Take numbered tags from customers, locate vehicles, and deliver vehicles, or provide customers with instructions for locating vehicles
  2. 2. Inspect vehicles to detect any damage
  3. 3. Greet customers and open their car doors
  4. 4. Issue ticket stubs or place numbered tags on windshields, log tags or attach tag to customers' keys, and give customers matching tags for…
  5. 5. Perform cash handling tasks, such as making change, balancing and recording cash drawer, or distributing tips
  6. 6. Patrol parking areas to prevent vehicle damage and vehicle or property thefts
  7. 7. Explain and calculate parking charges, collect fees from customers, and respond to customer complaints
  8. 8. Park and retrieve automobiles for customers in parking lots, storage garages, or new car lots
  9. 9. Provide customer assistance and information, such as giving directions or handling wheelchairs
  10. 10. Keep parking areas clean and orderly to ensure that space usage is maximized
  11. 11. Direct motorists to parking areas or parking spaces, using hand signals or flashlights as necessary
  12. 12. Escort customers to their vehicles to ensure their safety

Parking Attendants: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-6021 - lead skill Speaking at 3.5 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 3.5
  2. 2. Service Orientation 3.4
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.3
  4. 4. Social Perceptiveness 3.0
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 2.9
  6. 6. Writing 2.8
  7. 7. Mathematics 2.8
  8. 8. Monitoring 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 3.5
  2. 2. English Language 3.1
  3. 3. Transportation 3.0
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 2.7
  5. 5. Mathematics 2.5
  6. 6. Production and Processing 2.4
Pay vs Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers
-57%
vs mid peer median $81,410
This role $35,150/yr
$35K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
18,500
Annual openings
137,880
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 Parking Attendants

1. Illinois $36,730
2. Oregon $38,730
3. Massachusetts $37,360
4. District of Columbia $37,220
5. Colorado $39,330
6. California $38,060
7. New Hampshire $36,010
8. Vermont $38,160
9. Alaska $36,580
10. Washington $43,180

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators $77,320
  2. 2. Flight Attendants $63,580
  3. 3. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
  4. 4. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
  5. 5. First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $62,890
  6. 6. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770

Among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers on this card, Parking Attendants sits 57% below the mid peer median ($81,410). Its own median is $35,150.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 18,500 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: Illinois at $36,730. 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.

Parking Attendants pay-rank #50 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

On the Transportation and Material Moving Occupations median table (50 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Parking Attendants lands at #50, 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 53-6021 · national median $35,150 · lower third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#50/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Parking Attendants salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-6021

Illinois · top state for Parking Attendants

$37K published median

Oregon · #2 state pay

$39K · behind Illinois

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Parking Attendants · $232K

Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers

Lower-pay peer beside Parking Attendants · $62K

Compare Parking Attendants

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Parking Attendants with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Parking Attendants

Against another occupation

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Parking Attendants land on the Transportation and Material Moving Occupations median table? ▼
Parking Attendants is pay-rank #50 of 50 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians ($35K), Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants ($36K), Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment ($36K), Packers and Packagers, Hand ($36K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do parking attendants do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Parking Attendants. Leading ones include: Take numbered tags from customers, locate vehicles, and deliver vehicles, or provide customers with instructions for locating vehicles; Inspect vehicles to detect any damage; Greet customers and open their car doors; Issue ticket stubs or place numbered tags on windshields, log tags or attach tag to customers' keys, and give customers matching tags for…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for parking attendants? ▼
For SOC 53-6021, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (3.5), Service Orientation (3.4), Active Listening (3.3), Social Perceptiveness (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Transportation. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Parking Attendants? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,150 as the national median for Parking Attendants. The published 10th-90th range is $27,040 to $44,550. 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 Parking Attendants? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Parking Attendants is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 18,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Parking Attendants? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Parking Attendants. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Parking Attendants? ▼
Illinois ($36,730), Oregon ($38,730), Massachusetts ($37,360) 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 Parking Attendants card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-6021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Parking 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