Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants Salary: $34,850 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 98,270 automotive and watercraft service attendants work nationally, and $34,850 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.7% annual growth.
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants: what the data shows
Common questions about automotive and watercraft service attendants careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a automotive and watercraft service attendants?
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-6031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 98,270 workers.
What does a automotive and watercraft service attendants do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Controlling Machines and Processes, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a automotive and watercraft service attendants make?
BLS national median annual wage: $34,850 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $43,267 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,131 |
| 25th percentile | $38,453 |
| Median (50th) | $40,542 |
| 75th percentile | $45,899 |
| 90th percentile | $51,072 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Time Management, Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Repairing, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is automotive and watercraft service attendants in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 19.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 43.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 98,270.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do automotive and watercraft service attendantss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 98,270 | 18.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 96,900 | 18.4% |
| Retail Trade | 49,550 | 9.4% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 39,810 | 7.5% |
| Repair and Maintenance | 39,780 | 7.5% |
| Automotive Repair and Maintenance | 39,530 | 7.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | 688,840 | $49,670 |
| Automotive Body and Related Repairers | 155,220 | $51,680 |
| Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers | 18,940 | $47,260 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants workforce.
Employment Over Time
98,270 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants grew from 21,200 in 2009 to 37,680 in 2025 (77.7%).
Historical employment for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$34,850 Median pay (BLS national)
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants earn $34,850 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Salary distribution for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Employment Growth Projections
3.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
45,098 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 19.7%
53,978 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 43.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 9,750 employees, $32,760 avg wage
- NJ: 9,690 employees, $35,640 avg wage
- CA: 9,470 employees, $42,240 avg wage
- OR: 6,080 employees, $35,920 avg wage
- FL: 5,700 employees, $34,810 avg wage
- GA: 3,590 employees, $30,740 avg wage
- CO: 3,290 employees, $40,170 avg wage
- NY: 3,270 employees, $38,940 avg wage
- NC: 3,170 employees, $32,770 avg wage
- IN: 3,130 employees, $34,060 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 8,210 employees, $37,280 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,800 employees, $41,990 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 2,660 employees, $37,780 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,260 employees, $34,320 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,200 employees, $33,070 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,120 employees, $31,490 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 2,100 employees, $33,370 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,900 employees, $38,930 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 1,750 employees, $41,550 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,260 employees, $44,300 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Diversity
Demographic information on Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants is about 98,270 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants workers.
Education level distribution for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Skills
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Time Management, Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants include Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Trunk Strength, Control Precision, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
Daily Activities
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Controlling Machines and Processes, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Communicating with People Outside the Organization.
Most important work activities for Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
About
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants earn $34,850 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
53-6031 - Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants reports an average salary of $43,267.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 98,270 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.