Passenger Attendants Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for passenger attendantss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $37,820 ≈ $18/hr
National median salary $37,720
Total employment 27,110 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +4.7% Faster than average
Annual openings 4,100 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 25,600 → 26,800 (+1,200)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

Mean annual wage $27,000–$33,000 $33,000–$34,000 $34,000–$39,000 $39,000–$42,000 $42,000–$53,000 U.S. mean $37,820

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Alaska$52,800
  2. District of Columbia$49,260
  3. California$44,840
  4. Kentucky$42,950
  5. Washington$42,900

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Utah$26,870
  2. Tennessee$28,310
  3. Wisconsin$28,770
  4. Georgia$28,850
  5. Texas$31,960
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Alaska $52,800 $54,290 $25 +39.6% 220
2 District of Columbia $49,260 $52,730 $24 +30.2% 710
3 California $44,840 $43,340 $22 +18.6% 2,810
4 Kentucky $42,950 $44,810 $21 +13.6%
5 Washington $42,900 $41,760 $21 +13.4% 900
6 Massachusetts $42,580 $43,350 $20 +12.6% 1,330
7 Virginia $42,370 $38,810 $20 +12% 70
8 New Jersey $42,320 $39,760 $20 +11.9% 640
9 Hawaii $42,140 $42,360 $20 +11.4% 610
10 New York $41,460 $41,590 $20 +9.6% 3,190
11 Michigan $39,960 $40,250 $19 +5.7% 840
12 Connecticut $39,400 $34,320 $19 +4.2% 110
13 Colorado $39,150 $37,550 $19 +3.5% 870
14 Oregon $39,110 $39,910 $19 +3.4%
15 North Carolina $39,020 $35,740 $19 +3.2% 110

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 36 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $49,190 $47,930 790
2 Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area $46,030 $44,390 220
3 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN $44,810 $44,980 70
4 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $44,800 $44,950 510
5 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $43,580 $56,870 120
6 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $43,350 $41,970 1,150
7 Kahului-Wailuku, HI $42,360 $41,960 200
8 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $41,760 $42,720 820
9 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $41,590 $41,860 3,410
10 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $39,920 $40,370

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing passenger attendantss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Management of Companies and Enterprises $60,300 $54,630 70
2 Management of Companies and Enterprises $60,300 $54,630 70
3 Sector 55 - Management of Companies and Enterprises $60,300 $54,630 70
4 State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) $54,180 $54,100 820
5 State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) $54,180 $54,100 820
6 Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS $49,920 $48,580 1,550
7 Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS $49,920 $48,580 1,550
8 Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS $46,590 $44,470 1,900
9 Rail Transportation $43,780 $45,240 900
10 Rail Transportation $43,780 $45,240 900
11 Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation $42,530 $43,370 140
12 Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water $42,320 $42,940 850

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
11,263
$10-20k
9,253
$20-30k
9,094
$30-40k
5,461
$40-50k
1,112
$50-60k
804
$60-70k
627
$70-80k
572
$80-90k
181
$90-100k
504
$100-110k
53
$110-120k
901
$120-130k
129
$150-160k
58
$200k+
182

Pay by age band

16-24
$16,847
25-34
$23,419
35-44
$37,357
45-54
$27,823
55-64
$28,005
65+
$20,401

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$23,840
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$27,649
Some college, but less than 1 year
$26,457
GED or alternative credential
$19,744
Bachelors Degree
$33,819
Associates Degree
$30,864
12th grade - no diploma
$16,493
Grade 11
$14,062
Masters Degree
$55,983
No schooling completed
$18,323
Grade 9
$16,157
Grade 10
$29,943
Grade 8
$19,104
Grade 4
$32,625
Grade 6
$28,653

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
17,163 · $39,769
Part-time
15,479 · $19,941

Race / ethnicity

White
$21,915
Black
$31,040
Other
$25,726
Two or More Races
$26,976
Asian
$28,254
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$14,114

Top fields of study

Accounting
$110,518
Miscellaneous Business Medical Administration
$58,609
Psychology
$30,586
Studio Arts
$87,679
Computer And Information Systems
$15,293
Family And Consumer Sciences
$17,824
Philosophy And Religious Studies
General Education
$26,507

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Service Orientation
3.9
Active Listening
3.8
Social Perceptiveness
3.8
Speaking
3.8
Monitoring
3.3
Coordination
3.0
Reading Comprehension
3.0
Persuasion
3.0
Critical Thinking
2.9
Negotiation
2.9
Active Learning
2.6
Complex Problem Solving
2.6

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do passenger attendants make in the U.S.?

The median passenger attendants salary in the United States is $37,720 per year (mean $37,820), and about 80% earn between $27,970 and $46,590.

How much do passenger attendants make per hour?

Roughly $18 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $37,820 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays passenger attendants the most?

Alaska has the highest average pay for passenger attendants at $52,800 per year (median $54,290).

What is the job outlook for passenger attendants?

Employment is projected to change +4.7% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 4,100 openings per year.