How to become a parking attendant
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.
Steps to get there
Most employers expect usually requires a high school diploma or ged, though some occupations may not..Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
What parking attendants do
- Take numbered tags from customers, locate vehicles, and deliver vehicles, or provide customers with instructions for locating vehicles.
- Greet customers and open their car doors.
- 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.
- Provide customer assistance and information, such as giving directions or handling wheelchairs.
- Keep parking areas clean and orderly to ensure that space usage is maximized.
- Inspect vehicles to detect any damage.
Skills that matter most
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Is parking attendant a good career?
On the numbers, this job is close to the average across occupations. Median pay is 31% below the all-occupation median. Whether it fits you depends on the work itself, the schooling you are willing to do and where you want to live.
Where it pays most
- Washington $43,180
- Colorado $39,330
- Oregon $38,730
- Vermont $38,160
- California $38,060
Parking Attendants salary by state and city
Sources: O*NET® 31.0 (CC BY 4.0, USDOL/ETA) and BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025.