Jobs
How much valet parking pays
The median for this work is $16.90 an hour, before tips. Tips come on top of that. The numbers come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and they cover valet attendants along with garage and lot attendants.
What valet parking pays nationally
Across the United States, 137,880 people work as parking attendants. Half of them earn more than $16.90 an hour and half earn less. The annual column is that same pay over a year, if you work full time all year.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $13.00 | $27,040 |
| 25th percentile | $14.41 | $29,960 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $16.90 | $35,150 |
| 75th percentile | $18.11 | $37,670 |
| 90th percentile | $21.42 | $44,550 |
| Average (mean) | $16.82 | $34,990 |
Pay by state
What a state pays moves with its own minimum wage and with how much of its parking work sits in busy downtowns. The low and high columns show the real range: new hires usually start near the low end, and the top belongs to people who've been at it a while.
| State | Employed | Low (10th) | Median | High (90th) | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,110 | $8.88 | $14.59 | $16.95 | $30,350 |
| Alaska | 90 | $14.75 | $17.59 | $21.49 | $36,580 |
| Arizona | 3,130 | $14.70 | $16.46 | $20.64 | $34,230 |
| Arkansas | 310 | $11.03 | $14.37 | $16.81 | $29,890 |
| California | 21,290 | $17.19 | $18.30 | $24.17 | $38,060 |
| Colorado | 1,390 | $17.15 | $18.91 | $23.49 | $39,330 |
| Connecticut | 2,240 | $16.35 | $16.52 | $18.59 | $34,360 |
| Delaware | 200 | $15.00 | $16.46 | $17.23 | $34,230 |
| District of Columbia | 1,900 | $17.50 | $17.89 | $20.93 | $37,220 |
| Florida | 17,670 | $13.00 | $14.26 | $19.16 | $29,650 |
| Georgia | 4,660 | $10.41 | $13.93 | $17.53 | $28,960 |
| Hawaii | 1,600 | $14.25 | $16.20 | $22.77 | $33,690 |
| Idaho | 470 | $12.50 | $15.38 | $18.71 | $31,990 |
| Illinois | 5,320 | $15.03 | $17.66 | $25.65 | $36,730 |
| Indiana | 1,930 | $11.24 | $15.08 | $19.89 | $31,360 |
| Iowa | 1,050 | $10.18 | $14.46 | $18.21 | $30,070 |
| Kansas | 90 | $12.23 | $14.58 | $18.90 | $30,320 |
| Kentucky | 1,480 | $11.18 | $15.21 | $18.55 | $31,630 |
| Louisiana | 2,130 | $10.26 | $11.50 | $16.06 | $23,920 |
| Maine | 100 | $14.65 | $14.84 | $23.94 | $30,860 |
| Maryland | 1,530 | $15.00 | $16.93 | $22.58 | $35,210 |
| Massachusetts | 3,330 | $16.30 | $17.96 | $21.48 | $37,360 |
| Michigan | 3,210 | $12.63 | $16.20 | $18.35 | $33,690 |
| Minnesota | 1,470 | $13.05 | $16.95 | $22.03 | $35,250 |
| Mississippi | 320 | $9.55 | $12.70 | $19.22 | $26,420 |
| Missouri | 1,260 | $13.75 | $14.93 | $21.72 | $31,050 |
| Montana | 60 | $12.20 | $13.03 | $20.23 | $27,100 |
| Nebraska | 460 | $13.50 | $15.81 | $17.89 | $32,880 |
| Nevada | 2,660 | $12.16 | $14.31 | $20.61 | $29,750 |
| New Hampshire | 320 | $14.35 | $17.31 | $21.72 | $36,010 |
| New Jersey | 5,110 | $15.49 | $16.88 | $20.33 | $35,100 |
| New Mexico | 420 | $12.03 | $14.68 | $17.32 | $30,530 |
| New York | 12,440 | $16.14 | $17.27 | $20.50 | $35,920 |
| North Carolina | 2,930 | $8.17 | $14.68 | $18.57 | $30,540 |
| North Dakota | 170 | $13.91 | $17.09 | $19.83 | $35,550 |
| Ohio | 3,050 | $14.00 | $14.47 | $18.06 | $30,100 |
| Oklahoma | 870 | $8.42 | $13.09 | $17.64 | $27,230 |
| Oregon | 1,300 | $16.43 | $18.62 | $22.22 | $38,730 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,930 | $10.97 | $14.95 | $20.43 | $31,100 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,030 | $10.50 | $10.50 | $12.17 | $21,840 |
| Rhode Island | 520 | $15.00 | $16.54 | $21.45 | $34,390 |
| South Carolina | 1,300 | $8.81 | $15.14 | $17.98 | $31,490 |
| South Dakota | 240 | $14.36 | $16.45 | $19.41 | $34,220 |
| Tennessee | 2,660 | $8.11 | $14.80 | $17.35 | $30,780 |
| Texas | 12,100 | $11.52 | $15.00 | $19.35 | $31,200 |
| Utah | 710 | $14.10 | $16.65 | $20.45 | $34,630 |
| Vermont | 90 | $14.59 | $18.35 | $22.74 | $38,160 |
| Virginia | 1,830 | $12.41 | $14.48 | $18.32 | $30,110 |
| Washington | 2,860 | $17.37 | $20.76 | $24.23 | $43,180 |
| West Virginia | 150 | $11.94 | $14.64 | $20.77 | $30,460 |
| Wisconsin | 1,290 | $12.04 | $15.03 | $20.01 | $31,270 |
| Wyoming | 110 | $10.10 | $17.20 | $23.65 | $35,780 |
Pay by metro
We list a metro only when the federal metro area matches a market this directory covers. That way every city name below links to the operators working there. The rest are left out rather than listed with nowhere to send you.
| Metro | Employed | Low (10th) | Median | High (90th) | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 14,220 | $16.14 | $17.27 | $20.33 | $35,920 |
| Los Angeles Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 11,070 | $17.30 | $17.92 | $22.64 | $37,280 |
| Miami Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 8,550 | $13.00 | $14.26 | $18.66 | $29,650 |
| Dallas Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 5,490 | $12.84 | $15.28 | $19.35 | $31,770 |
| Chicago Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 4,450 | $15.17 | $18.18 | $26.51 | $37,810 |
| Atlanta Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 3,810 | $10.41 | $13.56 | $17.53 | $28,200 |
| San Francisco San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 3,470 | $19.07 | $21.39 | $29.03 | $44,480 |
| Houston Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 3,400 | $12.48 | $14.96 | $17.81 | $31,120 |
| Philadelphia Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 3,280 | $13.68 | $15.49 | $21.17 | $32,220 |
| San Diego San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 3,220 | $17.28 | $18.25 | $25.92 | $37,960 |
| Washington Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3,110 | $15.28 | $17.75 | $21.15 | $36,930 |
| Orlando Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 3,030 | $13.21 | $14.15 | $18.94 | $29,430 |
| Boston Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 2,650 | $17.25 | $17.96 | $21.54 | $37,360 |
| Phoenix Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 2,460 | $14.70 | $16.88 | $20.82 | $35,100 |
| Las Vegas Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 2,430 | $12.17 | $14.18 | $20.55 | $29,500 |
| Tampa Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 2,420 | $13.12 | $13.90 | $20.04 | $28,900 |
| Seattle Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 2,230 | $18.23 | $21.06 | $24.23 | $43,790 |
| Nashville Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 1,930 | $8.11 | $14.61 | $17.33 | $30,400 |
| Detroit Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 1,730 | $13.37 | $16.84 | $18.22 | $35,020 |
| Hartford Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 1,210 | $16.35 | $16.35 | $18.34 | $34,010 |
| Columbus Columbus, OH | 1,140 | $14.00 | $14.40 | $18.03 | $29,960 |
| Minneapolis Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 1,100 | $13.05 | $17.19 | $21.72 | $35,750 |
| San Antonio San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 1,090 | $10.89 | $14.16 | $17.47 | $29,460 |
| Denver Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 1,040 | $17.53 | $18.57 | $22.59 | $38,620 |
| Indianapolis Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 990 | $11.60 | $15.65 | $19.73 | $32,550 |
| Portland Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 990 | $17.30 | $18.98 | $22.28 | $39,480 |
| Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | 940 | $10.24 | $14.42 | $19.03 | $30,000 |
| Charlotte Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 900 | $10.95 | $15.13 | $18.57 | $31,470 |
| Baltimore Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 820 | $15.00 | $16.10 | $22.58 | $33,480 |
| Cleveland Cleveland, OH | 820 | $14.02 | $14.33 | $18.74 | $29,810 |
| Austin Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 780 | $8.78 | $16.33 | $18.87 | $33,970 |
| Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 750 | $12.88 | $15.03 | $17.96 | $31,260 |
| Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL | 750 | $13.00 | $14.29 | $18.50 | $29,720 |
| St. Louis St. Louis, MO-IL | 740 | $13.98 | $15.74 | $21.05 | $32,740 |
| Riverside Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 720 | $16.50 | $16.84 | $20.72 | $35,020 |
| Milwaukee Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 660 | $12.51 | $14.65 | $19.57 | $30,470 |
| Providence Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 660 | $15.00 | $16.54 | $21.14 | $34,390 |
| San Jose San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 650 | $19.33 | $21.65 | $29.37 | $45,030 |
| Louisville Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 580 | $11.18 | $15.16 | $18.97 | $31,520 |
| Sacramento Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 530 | $16.51 | $17.60 | $22.42 | $36,610 |
How tips change the picture
None of the numbers above include tips. The federal survey counts the wages and salaries an employer pays. A cash or card tip handed over at the door is neither of those. For most valet attendants that makes the tables a floor, not the whole total.
How much lands on top is not a fixed rate, and anyone quoting you one is guessing. It depends on where you work and how busy it gets. A restaurant on a Saturday night turns far more cars than a weekday hospital entrance. A hotel with overnight guests brings fewer but bigger tips than a bar with a two hour rush. Some employers pool tips across the shift, others let you keep your own. When the valet is prepaid or the venue covers the ticket, the pattern changes again.
Our valet parking tipping guide covers the guest side of the same moment: what people hand over per car, and when they tip more. Read it as a per car range, not an hourly one. Turning it into an hourly figure would mean guessing how many cars you park an hour. We won't guess.
Where to go next
- Valet attendant job description: what the shift involves and what employers ask for.
- How to become a valet attendant : license, driving record and the path to a first shift.
- Where valet attendants work: hotels, restaurants, hospitals, stadiums and events compared.
- All valet parking jobs guides.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-6021 Parking Attendants (public domain). Files oesm25nat/oesm25st/oesm25ma.zip from https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/. Wages exclude tips.
Last updated 2026-09-15.