Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants (SOC 53-6031) earn a median $35,670 a year ($17.15 an hour) in the United States, with 102,010 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Hawaii.
What automotive and watercraft service attendants do
Automotive and watercraft service attendants service vehicles and boats with fuel and basic supplies. They fuel vehicles and boats, check tire pressure and fluid levels, add air, oil, coolant, or other fluids, and take payment. They may also do minor work such as changing oil and filters, replacing wiper blades, bulbs, belts, and batteries, and repairing or replacing tires, and some sell and install small accessories. Between customers they clean the pump area, restrooms, and office, order stock, and put items on shelves. The code covers cars, buses, trucks, and boats, so the work is not limited to the traditional car service station. They grease and lubricate parts such as springs, universal joints, and steering knuckles with grease guns or spray lubricants, and they rotate and test tires. Cashiers are classed separately, since the payment-taking here is one part of a broader service job.
Typical entry: O*NET reports that most workers in this occupation have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Also called: Attendant, Auto Garage Attendant, Auto Self Service Station Attendant, Auto Service Station Attendant, Auto Servicer.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $13.76 | $15.05 | $17.15 | $18.90 | $22.14 | $17.68 | 102,010 |
| Annual | $28,630 | $31,300 | $35,670 | $39,320 | $46,060 | $36,780 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where automotive and watercraft service attendants earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Hawaii | Hourly | $14.01 | $14.09 | $20.98 | $27.08 | $31.24 | $20.87 | 270 | 0.43 | 0.66 |
| Annual | $29,130 | $29,300 | $43,630 | $56,330 | $64,980 | $43,400 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $17.48 | $18.10 | $20.08 | $21.78 | $24.14 | $20.64 | 10,190 | 0.56 | 0.85 |
| Annual | $36,360 | $37,640 | $41,770 | $45,310 | $50,200 | $42,940 | ||||
| District of Columbia | Hourly | $17.50 | $17.72 | $20.07 | $22.55 | $28.78 | $21.19 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $36,400 | $36,850 | $41,750 | $46,910 | $59,860 | $44,070 | ||||
| Rhode Island | Hourly | $17.57 | $19.79 | $20.05 | $20.37 | $21.22 | $19.92 | 120 | 0.25 | 0.37 |
| Annual | $36,540 | $41,160 | $41,690 | $42,360 | $44,130 | $41,440 | ||||
| Connecticut | Hourly | $17.19 | $17.55 | $20.00 | $21.74 | $27.96 | $20.65 | 420 | 0.25 | 0.37 |
| Annual | $35,760 | $36,500 | $41,600 | $45,210 | $58,170 | $42,960 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $15.49 | $15.49 | $17.00 | $18.04 | $21.56 | $17.81 | 11,050 | 2.58 | 3.93 |
| Annual | $32,220 | $32,220 | $35,350 | $37,530 | $44,840 | $37,050 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $17.48 | $18.10 | $20.08 | $21.78 | $24.14 | $20.64 | 10,190 | 0.56 | 0.85 |
| Annual | $36,360 | $37,640 | $41,770 | $45,310 | $50,200 | $42,940 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $13.00 | $14.26 | $16.19 | $17.97 | $20.90 | $16.64 | 6,880 | 0.49 | 0.74 |
| Annual | $27,040 | $29,650 | $33,670 | $37,380 | $43,470 | $34,610 | ||||
| Oregon | Hourly | $14.56 | $15.09 | $16.48 | $18.20 | $21.25 | $17.38 | 6,270 | 3.19 | 4.86 |
| Annual | $30,290 | $31,390 | $34,280 | $37,860 | $44,200 | $36,160 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $13.47 | $14.35 | $16.76 | $17.83 | $22.70 | $17.35 | 5,150 | 0.52 | 0.79 |
| Annual | $28,020 | $29,840 | $34,860 | $37,080 | $47,210 | $36,080 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Urban Honolulu, HI | Hourly | $14.01 | $14.26 | $24.21 | $30.20 | $31.24 | $22.98 | 170 | 0.37 | 0.57 |
| Annual | $29,130 | $29,650 | $50,360 | $62,820 | $64,980 | $47,790 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | $19.15 | $20.90 | $22.00 | $23.70 | $29.15 | $23.09 | 1,100 | 0.46 | 0.70 |
| Annual | $39,820 | $43,470 | $45,760 | $49,300 | $60,630 | $48,020 | ||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $19.64 | $21.41 | $21.64 | $23.05 | $27.08 | $22.97 | 460 | 0.40 | 0.61 |
| Annual | $40,840 | $44,530 | $45,020 | $47,940 | $56,320 | $47,770 | ||||
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | Hourly | $18.26 | $18.94 | $21.22 | $22.62 | $24.27 | $21.30 | 150 | 0.72 | 1.09 |
| Annual | $37,980 | $39,390 | $44,140 | $47,050 | $50,480 | $44,300 | ||||
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | Hourly | $17.03 | $17.44 | $21.21 | $21.69 | $29.06 | $21.11 | 70 | 0.52 | 0.80 |
| Annual | $35,410 | $36,270 | $44,120 | $45,120 | $60,450 | $43,920 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $15.49 | $16.50 | $17.52 | $19.38 | $22.11 | $18.46 | 9,370 | 0.99 | 1.50 |
| Annual | $32,220 | $34,310 | $36,440 | $40,300 | $45,990 | $38,390 | ||||
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | Hourly | $16.04 | $16.28 | $17.51 | $19.09 | $21.76 | $18.35 | 2,870 | 2.37 | 3.62 |
| Annual | $33,370 | $33,850 | $36,420 | $39,710 | $45,260 | $38,170 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $17.86 | $18.17 | $18.79 | $21.57 | $22.67 | $20.23 | 2,830 | 0.45 | 0.69 |
| Annual | $37,140 | $37,780 | $39,070 | $44,870 | $47,160 | $42,080 | ||||
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Hourly | $13.85 | $13.97 | $14.93 | $17.19 | $20.50 | $16.10 | 2,770 | 0.96 | 1.46 |
| Annual | $28,800 | $29,070 | $31,040 | $35,760 | $42,640 | $33,490 | ||||
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Hourly | $15.49 | $15.49 | $16.77 | $17.35 | $20.67 | $17.19 | 2,490 | 0.86 | 1.31 |
| Annual | $32,220 | $32,220 | $34,880 | $36,090 | $42,990 | $35,760 | ||||
Top industries employing automotive and watercraft service attendants
Automotive Repair and Maintenance employ 34.9% of automotive and watercraft service attendants nationally (35,570 jobs) at a median $35,130 a year ($16.89 an hour), followed by Automobile Dealers (23.2%) and Gasoline Stations (18.2%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive Repair and Maintenance NAICS 811100 | 35,570 | 34.9% | $35,130 | $16.89 |
| Automobile Dealers NAICS 441100 | 23,710 | 23.2% | $36,980 | $17.78 |
| Gasoline Stations NAICS 457100 | 18,610 | 18.2% | $33,500 | $16.11 |
| Food and Beverage Retailers (4451 and 4452 only) NAICS 4450A1 | 6,890 | 6.8% | $34,740 | $16.70 |
| General Merchandise Retailers NAICS 455000 | 4,890 | 4.8% | $45,540 | $21.89 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (102,010). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $29,330 for automotive and watercraft service attendants in May 2021 and $35,670 in May 2025, with employment of 111,480 and 102,010.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $29,330 | $14.10 | 111,480 |
| May 2022 | $30,850 | $14.83 | 99,600 |
| May 2023 | $33,820 | $16.26 | 92,530 |
| May 2024 | $34,850 | $16.76 | 98,270 |
| May 2025 | $35,670 | $17.15 | 102,010 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
51 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii profile | $20.98 | $43,630 | $29,130 | $64,980 | 270 | 0.43 | 0.66 |
| 2 | California profile | $20.08 | $41,770 | $36,360 | $50,200 | 10,190 | 0.56 | 0.85 |
| 3 | District of Columbia profile | $20.07 | $41,750 | $36,400 | $59,860 | ** | ** | ** |
| 4 | Rhode Island profile | $20.05 | $41,690 | $36,540 | $44,130 | 120 | 0.25 | 0.37 |
| 5 | Connecticut profile | $20.00 | $41,600 | $35,760 | $58,170 | 420 | 0.25 | 0.37 |
| 6 | Alaska profile | $19.99 | $41,590 | $32,620 | $60,330 | 280 | 0.87 | 1.33 |
| 7 | New Hampshire profile | $19.25 | $40,030 | $35,550 | $58,180 | 200 | 0.29 | 0.44 |
| 8 | Washington profile | $18.96 | $39,440 | $34,950 | $51,470 | 2,620 | 0.74 | 1.12 |
| 9 | Montana profile | $18.61 | $38,700 | $30,390 | $47,840 | 460 | 0.90 | 1.37 |
| 10 | Vermont profile | $18.60 | $38,700 | $31,980 | $43,740 | 170 | 0.55 | 0.83 |
| 11 | Colorado profile | $18.45 | $38,370 | $34,800 | $47,890 | 2,980 | 1.04 | 1.58 |
| 12 | Missouri profile | $18.33 | $38,130 | $33,800 | $48,410 | 1,150 | 0.39 | 0.60 |
| 13 | Maryland profile | $18.07 | $37,580 | $31,230 | $64,890 | 1,060 | 0.38 | 0.58 |
| 14 | Nevada profile | $18.05 | $37,550 | $27,750 | $59,730 | 250 | 0.16 | 0.25 |
| 15 | Minnesota profile | $18.02 | $37,470 | $28,830 | $45,000 | 1,230 | 0.42 | 0.63 |
| 16 | New York profile | $17.88 | $37,180 | $33,090 | $46,430 | 3,770 | 0.39 | 0.59 |
| 17 | Utah profile | $17.79 | $37,000 | $26,280 | $48,340 | 890 | 0.52 | 0.79 |
| 18 | North Dakota profile | $17.67 | $36,740 | $28,400 | $53,430 | 500 | 1.16 | 1.76 |
| 19 | Wyoming profile | $17.61 | $36,640 | $29,300 | $41,980 | 280 | 0.98 | 1.50 |
| 20 | Wisconsin profile | $17.57 | $36,550 | $25,020 | $43,910 | 2,770 | 0.94 | 1.43 |
| 21 | Delaware profile | $17.56 | $36,530 | $31,200 | $43,680 | 370 | 0.76 | 1.16 |
| 22 | South Dakota profile | $17.33 | $36,050 | $29,370 | $45,240 | 650 | 1.41 | 2.15 |
| 23 | Illinois profile | $17.31 | $36,010 | $31,200 | $49,360 | 1,940 | 0.32 | 0.48 |
| 24 | South Carolina profile | $17.31 | $36,000 | $26,760 | $52,590 | 220 | 0.10 | 0.15 |
| 25 | Arizona profile | $17.23 | $35,840 | $31,200 | $45,050 | 1,710 | 0.53 | 0.80 |
| 26 | Indiana profile | $17.16 | $35,700 | $28,680 | $44,660 | 3,090 | 0.96 | 1.47 |
| 27 | Massachusetts profile | $17.15 | $35,680 | $32,780 | $48,760 | 1,850 | 0.51 | 0.78 |
| 28 | Idaho profile | $17.10 | $35,560 | $31,200 | $44,430 | 480 | 0.56 | 0.86 |
| 29 | Kansas profile | $17.04 | $35,440 | $27,950 | $44,290 | 1,500 | 1.04 | 1.59 |
| 30 | New Jersey profile | $17.00 | $35,350 | $32,220 | $44,840 | 11,050 | 2.58 | 3.93 |
| 31 | Ohio profile | $16.82 | $34,990 | $27,580 | $42,040 | 2,930 | 0.53 | 0.80 |
| 32 | Nebraska profile | $16.80 | $34,940 | $29,830 | $44,120 | 910 | 0.89 | 1.36 |
| 33 | Florida profile | $16.76 | $34,860 | $28,020 | $47,210 | 5,150 | 0.52 | 0.79 |
| 34 | Arkansas profile | $16.71 | $34,750 | $27,760 | $46,750 | 870 | 0.67 | 1.01 |
| 35 | Oregon profile | $16.48 | $34,280 | $30,290 | $44,200 | 6,270 | 3.19 | 4.86 |
| 36 | North Carolina profile | $16.19 | $33,680 | $28,920 | $42,160 | 2,790 | 0.57 | 0.86 |
| 37 | Texas profile | $16.19 | $33,670 | $27,040 | $43,470 | 6,880 | 0.49 | 0.74 |
| 38 | Maine profile | $15.54 | $32,310 | $30,470 | $40,790 | 680 | 1.07 | 1.62 |
| 39 | Tennessee profile | $15.37 | $31,970 | $25,450 | $38,470 | 2,840 | 0.87 | 1.32 |
| 40 | Oklahoma profile | $15.27 | $31,760 | $27,430 | $52,950 | 1,270 | 0.74 | 1.13 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania profile | $15.17 | $31,550 | $23,130 | $45,490 | 1,580 | 0.26 | 0.40 |
| 42 | Kentucky profile | $15.10 | $31,410 | $20,850 | $38,200 | 1,220 | 0.61 | 0.93 |
| 43 | Michigan profile | $15.04 | $31,280 | $26,650 | $38,550 | 3,390 | 0.77 | 1.17 |
| 44 | Georgia profile | $14.88 | $30,950 | $27,080 | $45,150 | 4,210 | 0.86 | 1.31 |
| 45 | New Mexico profile | $14.85 | $30,880 | $28,610 | $40,550 | ** | ** | ** |
| 46 | Iowa profile | $14.81 | $30,810 | $28,220 | $47,550 | 340 | 0.22 | 0.34 |
| 47 | Mississippi profile | $14.81 | $30,810 | $24,170 | $42,010 | 350 | 0.30 | 0.46 |
| 48 | Virginia profile | $14.59 | $30,350 | $25,810 | $43,950 | 4,060 | 0.99 | 1.51 |
| 49 | Alabama profile | $14.03 | $29,180 | $23,900 | $37,440 | 2,150 | 1.02 | 1.55 |
| 50 | Louisiana profile | $14.02 | $29,150 | $24,460 | $52,120 | 1,150 | 0.60 | 0.91 |
| 51 | West Virginia profile | $13.59 | $28,260 | $23,300 | $36,240 | 200 | 0.29 | 0.45 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (53-6030), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 53-6031 Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 53-6031, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 53-6031.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.