Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-6031 · O*NET 53-6031.00
Service automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, and other automotive or marine vehicles with fuel, lubricants, and accessories. Collect payment for services and supplies. May lubricate vehicle, change motor oil, refill antifreeze, or replace lights or other accessories, such as windshield wiper blades or fan belts. May repair or replace tires.
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants fall under the Transportation and Material Moving category in the U.S. occupational classification. Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants earn a median salary of $34,850 per year, ranking in the top 95% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -1.0% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do automotive and watercraft service attendants earn?
The median annual wage for automotive and watercraft service attendants is $34,850. That puts automotive and watercraft service attendants at #773 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $27,870 |
| 25th percentile | $30,600 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $34,850 |
| 75th percentile | $38,430 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $45,240 |
| Median hourly wage | $16.76/hr |
Is automotive and watercraft service attendants a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for automotive and watercraft service attendants is -1.0%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 100K positions in 2024 to 99K in 2034, a net change of -1K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do automotive and watercraft service attendants do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working automotive and watercraft service attendants, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Perform minor repairs, such as adjusting brakes, replacing spark plugs, or changing engine oil or filters.
- 2.Clean parking areas, offices, restrooms, or equipment, and remove trash.
- 3.Sell and install accessories, such as batteries, windshield wiper blades, fan belts, bulbs, or headlamps.
- 4.Grease and lubricate vehicles or specified units, such as springs, universal joints, or steering knuckles, using grease guns or spray lubricants.
- 5.Rotate, test, and repair or replace tires.
- 6.Collect cash payments from customers, and make change or charge purchases to customers' credit cards, providing customers with receipts.
- 7.Check tire pressure and levels of fuel, motor oil, transmission, radiator, battery, or other fluids, adding air or fluids as required.
- 8.Order stock, and price and shelve incoming goods.
Top skills for automotive and watercraft service attendants
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become automotive and watercraft service attendant?
Many automotive and watercraft service attendants enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about automotive and watercraft service attendants
What is the median salary for automotive and watercraft service attendants?
The median annual salary for automotive and watercraft service attendants is $34,850 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is automotive and watercraft service attendants a growing career?
BLS projects -1.0% growth for automotive and watercraft service attendants from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become automotive and watercraft service attendant?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to automotive and watercraft service attendants?
Related occupations within the Transportation and Material Moving category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.