Passenger Attendants: Salary Overview
Passenger attendants work on buses, ships, and trains- where they ensure the safety of passengers.
Their duties may include explaining how to use safety equipment, serving meals and beverages, and answering the passenger’s questions.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage for this profession was $29,420, which is less than the average for all occupations in the United States.
The median annual salary reported by passenger attendants in the U.S. was $26,570 as of May 2019.
This means that half of all workers in this profession earned less than this amount while half earned more.
Salaries vary depending on a wide range of factors, including the experience and education level but also the industry and the region of employment.
The lowest 10 percent of all passenger attendants reportedly made less than $19,480 while the highest 10 percent made more than $40,800 annually.
This means that the majority of people who work as passenger attendants earn less than the national average for all occupations, which in 2019 was $39,810, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The 25 percentile for this profession was $22,900 as of May 2019 which means that the majority of workers in this profession (75 percent) earned more than this amount.
Passenger Attendant Salary by Industry
According to BLS, the industries with the highest level of employment for passenger attendants were the fields of support activities for air transportation and support activities for water transportation.
Passenger attendants who worked for the industry of support activities for air transportation reportedly made $28,330 per year while those who worked for companies that provide support activities for water transportation reportedly made $26,590 per year.
The average annual wage was $27,720 for passenger attendants in the field of school and employee bus transportation and $37,290 for those in rail transportation.
Passenger attendants who worked for local governments made $31,720 per year, on average.
The report published by BLS shows that passenger attendants who were employed by state governments reported the highest average annual salary.
In this sector, passenger attendants reportedly earned $41,050 per year.
BLS report shows that salaries for passenger attendants also vary state by state.
The top-paying state for this profession in 2019 was the District of Columbia where the salaries reported by workers in this profession averaged at $41,590.
Other top-paying states where the average wage for this profession was above $35,000 were Washington and Massachusetts.
In the state with the highest level of employment in this occupation, Florida, passenger attendants reportedly earned $23,350 per year, less than the national average salary for this profession.
Other states where the average annual wage for this profession was below the $25,000 mark were Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and South Carolina.
In the state with the second-highest level of employment, New York, workers in this occupation reportedly earned $31,670 per year, on average.
The metropolitan area with the highest employment level in this occupation was New York-Newark-Jersey City, where the average annual wage for this occupation was $30,190 per year, as of May 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The top-paying metropolitan area for this profession was Washington-Arlington-Alexandria- with a reported average annual wage of $40,610 for passenger attendants.
Salaries are also influenced by the worker’s level of experience.
As an entry-level employee, your starting salary will most likely be closer to the minimum for this profession but as you earn a few years of experience your earnings will increase.
In conclusion, this profession is not very well paid, especially for entry-level employees but salaries are usually lower than the average national wage regardless of the level of experience.
However, if you have good communication skills and you enjoy interacting with people, this profession can be the right fit for you.
* Based on information from the May 2023 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Passenger Attendants. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.