Career Atlas USA

Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

Median salary
$35,670
Average salary
$36,780
Employment
102,010
Projected growth
1% decline
Annual openings
14,400
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential

What Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 20242034.

Related work experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.8%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

  • Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.6/5
  • Mechanicalimportance 4.4/5
  • Sales and Marketingimportance 4.0/5
  • Administration and Managementimportance 3.8/5
  • Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
  • Administrativeimportance 3.0/5
  • Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.0/5
  • Education and Trainingimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
  • Telephone Conversations4.8/5
  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.8/5
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
  • Time Pressure4.6/5
  • Spend Time Standing4.6/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

  • Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
  • Operation and Controlimportance 3.1/5
  • Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
  • Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
  • Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
  • Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
  • Repairingimportance 3.0/5
  • Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

In-Demand Technologies

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Cautiousness
  • Integrity
  • Cooperation
  • Social Orientation
  • Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

  • RealisticHigh
  • ConventionalMedium
  • EnterprisingLow
  • SocialLow
  • InvestigativeLow
  • ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where automotive and watercraft service attendants make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

  1. 1Grants Pass, OR7.19× national avg
  2. 2Vineland, NJ7.04× national avg
  3. 3Medford, OR6.48× national avg
  4. 4Albany, OR5.77× national avg
  5. 5Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ5.55× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

See the full career path from Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

Full salary data & percentiles →Best states for this career →Highest-paying states →