Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Passenger Attendants: $35K vs $38K Median Pay

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Passenger Attendants: what changes?

Consider Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians if you want to drive ambulance or assist ambulance driver in transporting sick, injured, or convalescent persons. Consider Passenger Attendants if you would rather provide services to ensure the safety of passengers aboard ships, buses, trains, or within the station or terminal. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians and Passenger Attendants. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

National median pay (2025): $35,450
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Remove and replace soiled linens or equipment to maintain sanitary conditions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 1.3% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians brief

Passenger Attendants

National median pay (2025): $37,720
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Secure passengers for transportation by buckling seatbelts or fastening wheelchairs with tie-down straps.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 4,300

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Passenger Attendants brief

How the national numbers differ

Passenger Attendants has the edge on projected growth

Passenger Attendants is at 6% projected growth, compared with -1.3% projected growth for Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians.

Passenger Attendants has the edge on annual openings

Passenger Attendants is at 4,300 annual openings, compared with 1,400 annual openings for Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians.

Passenger Attendants has the edge on median pay

Passenger Attendants is at $37,720, compared with $35,450 for Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians.

26.3/ 100

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

48.9/ 100

Passenger Attendants

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Passenger Attendants

Dimension	Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians	Passenger Attendants
Median pay (2025)	$35,450	$37,720
Pay percentile	3.4 percentile	7.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-1.3%	6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,400	4,300
2025 employment	14,300	27,200
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians brief Read Passenger Attendants brief

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Passenger Attendants: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

Passenger Attendants

How the national numbers differ

Passenger Attendants has the edge on projected growth

Passenger Attendants has the edge on annual openings

Passenger Attendants has the edge on median pay

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Passenger Attendants

Try another comparison

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians vs Bus Drivers, School

Passenger Attendants vs Airfield Operations Specialists

Passenger Attendants vs Driver/Sales Workers