Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants
Also called: Attendant, Fuel Dock Attendant, Gas Attendant, Service Station AttendantService 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.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 7.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Transportation service attendants”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.1 hires for every 10 job openings in retail trade, which employs about 56% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $29,180 | $27,570 to $33,280 | 2,150 |
| Alaska | $41,590 | $36,530 to $43,320 | 280 |
| Arizona | $35,840 | $31,830 to $39,480 | 1,710 |
| Arkansas | $34,750 | $30,370 to $37,110 | 870 |
| California | $41,770 | $37,640 to $45,310 | 10,190 |
| Colorado | $38,370 | $36,690 to $43,310 | 2,980 |
| Connecticut | $41,600 | $36,500 to $45,210 | 420 |
| Delaware | $36,530 | $31,200 to $37,950 | 370 |
| District of Columbia | $41,750 | $36,850 to $46,910 | not published |
| Florida | $34,860 | $29,840 to $37,080 | 5,150 |
| Georgia | $30,950 | $28,920 to $35,740 | 4,210 |
| Hawaii | $43,630 | $29,300 to $56,330 | 270 |
| Idaho | $35,560 | $33,850 to $36,790 | 480 |
| Illinois | $36,010 | $31,770 to $38,640 | 1,940 |
| Indiana | $35,700 | $30,440 to $38,040 | 3,090 |
| Iowa | $30,810 | $29,550 to $37,030 | 340 |
| Kansas | $35,440 | $30,420 to $38,130 | 1,500 |
| Kentucky | $31,410 | $28,230 to $36,200 | 1,220 |
| Louisiana | $29,150 | $26,810 to $36,600 | 1,150 |
| Maine | $32,310 | $31,030 to $37,210 | 680 |
| Maryland | $37,580 | $35,730 to $49,940 | 1,060 |
| Massachusetts | $35,680 | $34,960 to $42,990 | 1,850 |
| Michigan | $31,280 | $28,660 to $36,120 | 3,390 |
| Minnesota | $37,470 | $34,710 to $41,600 | 1,230 |
| Mississippi | $30,810 | $28,390 to $34,940 | 350 |
| Missouri | $38,130 | $35,840 to $47,250 | 1,150 |
| Montana | $38,700 | $36,200 to $44,440 | 460 |
| Nebraska | $34,940 | $31,110 to $37,600 | 910 |
| Nevada | $37,550 | $33,100 to $42,700 | 250 |
| New Hampshire | $40,030 | $36,640 to $45,810 | 200 |
| New Jersey | $35,350 | $32,220 to $37,530 | 11,050 |
| New Mexico | $30,880 | $29,140 to $36,950 | not published |
| New York | $37,180 | $34,970 to $43,720 | 3,770 |
| North Carolina | $33,680 | $30,100 to $36,200 | 2,790 |
| North Dakota | $36,740 | $31,270 to $41,590 | 500 |
| Ohio | $34,990 | $31,780 to $36,410 | 2,930 |
| Oklahoma | $31,760 | $28,860 to $37,620 | 1,270 |
| Oregon | $34,280 | $31,390 to $37,860 | 6,270 |
| Pennsylvania | $31,550 | $27,820 to $36,750 | 1,580 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,250 | $21,840 to $40,560 | not published |
| Rhode Island | $41,690 | $41,160 to $42,360 | 120 |
| South Carolina | $36,000 | $28,440 to $46,800 | 220 |
| South Dakota | $36,050 | $33,080 to $37,930 | 650 |
| Tennessee | $31,970 | $28,960 to $35,730 | 2,840 |
| Texas | $33,670 | $29,650 to $37,380 | 6,880 |
| Utah | $37,000 | $33,280 to $40,160 | 890 |
| Vermont | $38,700 | $36,740 to $41,710 | 170 |
| Virginia | $30,350 | $28,370 to $35,500 | 4,060 |
| Washington | $39,440 | $36,190 to $44,640 | 2,620 |
| West Virginia | $28,260 | $23,530 to $34,900 | 200 |
| Wisconsin | $36,550 | $30,360 to $38,170 | 2,770 |
| Wyoming | $36,640 | $30,880 to $38,130 | 280 |
Nationally: $35,670. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 3 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Check tire pressure and levels of fuel, motor oil, transmission, radiator, battery, or other fluids, adding air or fluids as required. | Not published |
| Not much | Grease and lubricate vehicles or specified units, such as springs, universal joints, or steering knuckles, using grease guns or spray lubricants. | Not published |
| Not much | Sell and install accessories, such as batteries, windshield wiper blades, fan belts, bulbs, or headlamps. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform minor repairs, such as adjusting brakes, replacing spark plugs, or changing engine oil or filters. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect cash payments from customers, and make change or charge purchases to customers' credit cards, providing customers with receipts. | Not published |
| Not much | Rotate, test, and repair or replace tires. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Clean parking areas, offices, restrooms, or equipment, and remove trash. | Not published |
| Not much | Order stock, and price and shelve incoming goods. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Clean windshields. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Test and charge batteries. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare daily reports of fuel, oil, and accessory sales. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain customer records and follow up periodically with telephone, mail, or personal reminders of services due. | Not published |
| Not much | Activate fuel pumps and fill fuel tanks of vehicles with gasoline or diesel fuel to specified levels. | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide customers with information about local roads or highways. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | under 0.01% |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain vehicles in working condition | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain sales or financial records | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Sell products or services | |||
| Assemble equipment or components |
Show all 11 activities
| Inspect vehicles | |||
| Collect fares or payments | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer49%
- Advice or a recommendation35%
- A plan or strategy5%
- Data or a spreadsheet2%
- A chart or visualization1%
How they worked with Claude
2% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for automotive and watercraft service attendants specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 7,351 moves out
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 2 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 5,111 moves in
- 1 Cashiers High -6.5% 7%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 5 Fast Food and Counter Workers Moderate +5.8% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 16% less than high school
- 59% high school
- 23% postsecondary certificate
- 2% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 30 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 16% less than high school
- 45% high school
- 22% some college
- 10% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Transportation service attendants” · 1,081 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Transportation service attendants”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/53-6031.00