Parking Attendants: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-6021 · O*NET 53-6021.00
Park vehicles or issue tickets for customers in a parking lot or garage. May park or tend vehicles in environments such as a car dealership or rental car facility. May collect fee.
Parking Attendants fall under the Transportation and Material Moving category in the U.S. occupational classification. Parking Attendants earn a median salary of $35,150 per year, ranking in the top 98% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +2.0% job growth through 2035, projected to grow slower than the US average. 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 parking attendants earn?
The median annual wage for parking attendants is $35,150. That puts parking attendants at #806 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) | $27,040 |
| 25th percentile | $29,960 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $35,150 |
| 75th percentile | $37,670 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $44,550 |
| Median hourly wage | $16.90/hr |
Is parking attendants a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for parking attendants is +2.0%, projected to grow slower than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 139K positions in 2024 to 142K in 2034, a net change of 3K. Flat growth typically reflects a mature, stable field. Most openings will come from retirements rather than new positions, which can favor candidates with strong networks and willingness to relocate.
What do parking attendants do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working parking attendants, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Issue ticket stubs or place numbered tags on windshields, log tags or attach tag to customers' keys, and give customers matching tags for locating parked vehicles.
- 2.Park and retrieve automobiles for customers in parking lots, storage garages, or new car lots.
- 3.Provide customer assistance and information, such as giving directions or handling wheelchairs.
- 4.Greet customers and open their car doors.
- 5.Explain and calculate parking charges, collect fees from customers, and respond to customer complaints.
- 6.Call emergency responders or the proper authorities and provide motorist assistance, such as giving directions or helping jump start a stalled vehicle.
- 7.Take numbered tags from customers, locate vehicles, and deliver vehicles, or provide customers with instructions for locating vehicles.
- 8.Perform cash handling tasks, such as making change, balancing and recording cash drawer, or distributing tips.
Top skills for parking 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 parking attendant?
Many parking 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 parking attendants
What is the median salary for parking attendants?
The median annual salary for parking attendants is $35,150 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is parking attendants a growing career?
BLS projects +2.0% growth for parking attendants from 2025 through 2035, which is flat growth projected to grow slower than the US average.
What education does my child need to become parking 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 parking 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 2025–2035 release.