Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 53-6061

Passenger Attendants

Median pay sits 54% below the mid peer in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (neighbors include Air Traffic Controllers, Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels, Transportation Inspectors).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Passenger Attendants: Air Traffic Controllers ($148K) , Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers ($62K) , Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels ($92K) , Transportation Inspectors ($92K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Passenger Attendants publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-6061 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Secure passengers for transportation by buckling seatbelts or fastening wheelchairs with tie-down straps
  2. 2. Provide customers with information on routes, gates, prices, timetables, terminals, or concourses
  3. 3. Perform equipment safety checks prior to departure
  4. 4. Provide boarding assistance to elderly, sick, or injured people
  5. 5. Respond to passengers' questions, requests, or complaints
  6. 6. Greet passengers boarding transportation equipment and announce routes and stops
  7. 7. Count and verify tickets and seat reservations and record numbers of passengers boarding and disembarking
  8. 8. Explain and demonstrate safety procedures and safety equipment use
  9. 9. Open and close doors for passengers
  10. 10. Determine or facilitate seating arrangements
  11. 11. Signal transportation operators to stop or to proceed
  12. 12. Adjust window shades or seat cushions at the request of passengers

Passenger Attendants: O*NET ranks Service Orientation first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-6061 - lead skill Service Orientation at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Transportation. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Service Orientation 3.9
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.8
  3. 3. Speaking 3.8
  4. 4. Social Perceptiveness 3.8
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.3
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  7. 7. Coordination 3.0
  8. 8. Persuasion 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Transportation 3.7
  2. 2. English Language 3.5
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.2
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 3.2
  5. 5. Psychology 2.5
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.4
Pay vs Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers
-54%
vs mid peer median $81,410
This role $37,720/yr
$38K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
4,100
Annual openings
27,110
Estimated US jobs
Air Traffic Controllers
Highest-pay peer · $148K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Passenger Attendants

1. Washington $41,760
2. District of Columbia $52,730
3. New York $41,590
4. Hawaii $42,360
5. Alaska $54,290
6. Kentucky $44,810
7. Michigan $40,250
8. California $43,340
9. Massachusetts $43,350
10. Oregon $39,910

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels $92,460
  2. 2. Transportation Inspectors $92,100
  3. 3. Wellhead Pumpers $69,960
  4. 4. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770
  5. 5. Air Traffic Controllers $148,080
  6. 6. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840

Among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers on this card, Passenger Attendants sits 54% below the mid peer median ($81,410). Its own median is $37,720.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 4,100 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent 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: Washington at $41,760. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Air Traffic Controllers at $148,080. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Passenger Attendants pay-rank #42 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

On the Transportation and Material Moving Occupations median table (50 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Passenger Attendants lands at #42, 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 53-6061 · national median $37,720 · lower third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#42/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Passenger Attendants salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-6061

Washington · top state for Passenger Attendants

$42K published median

District of Columbia · #2 state pay

$53K · behind Washington

Air Traffic Controllers

Highest-pay peer vs Passenger Attendants · $148K

Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers

Lower-pay peer beside Passenger Attendants · $62K

Compare Passenger Attendants

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

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Passenger Attendants

Against another occupation

Air Traffic Controllers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Passenger Attendants land on the Transportation and Material Moving Occupations median table? ▼
Passenger Attendants is pay-rank #42 of 50 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Stockers and Order Fillers ($37K), Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs ($37K), Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other ($37K), Driver/Sales Workers ($39K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do passenger attendants do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Passenger Attendants. Leading ones include: Secure passengers for transportation by buckling seatbelts or fastening wheelchairs with tie-down straps; Provide customers with information on routes, gates, prices, timetables, terminals, or concourses; Perform equipment safety checks prior to departure; Provide boarding assistance to elderly, sick, or injured people. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for passenger attendants? ▼
For SOC 53-6061, O*NET importance scores lead with Service Orientation (3.9), Active Listening (3.8), Speaking (3.8), Social Perceptiveness (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Transportation, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Passenger Attendants? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $37,720 as the national median for Passenger Attendants. The published 10th-90th range is $27,970 to $46,590. Beside Air Traffic Controllers ($148,080), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Passenger Attendants? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Passenger Attendants is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 4,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Passenger Attendants? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Passenger Attendants. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Passenger Attendants? ▼
Washington ($41,760), District of Columbia ($52,730), New York ($41,590) 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 Passenger Attendants card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-6061. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Passenger 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