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Boston Career Explorer

Personal Care and Service

Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers

Assist patrons at entertainment events by performing duties, such as collecting admission tickets and passes from patrons, assisting in finding seats, searching for lost articles, and helping patrons locate such facilities as restrooms and telephones.

Also called: Lobby Attendant, Theater Attendant, Theatre Usher, Ticket Attendant, Ticket Taker, Usher

Median pay in Greater Boston
$34,020
$16.36/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,710
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−2.3%
710 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$32,180$33,670$34,020$36,010$42,870

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Sell or collect admission tickets, passes, or facility memberships from patrons at entertainment events.
  • Clean facilities.
  • Provide assistance with patrons' special needs, such as helping those with wheelchairs.
  • Maintain order and ensure adherence to safety rules.
  • Examine tickets or passes to verify authenticity, using criteria such as color or date issued.
  • Refuse admittance to undesirable persons or persons without tickets or passes.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure40 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 40
  • Language-model AIOE 44
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 37

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is moderate, but observed AI use is little or none so far. AI tools are most likely to touch ticket selling and checking, such as scanning or verifying passes. Helping guests with special needs, keeping order, and cleaning still rely on people. Massachusetts projections show this job shrinking slightly (-2.3%).

Likely to change

  • Selling and scanning admission tickets
  • Verifying passes and tickets

Still relies on people

  • Helping patrons with wheelchairs or special needs
  • Keeping order and enforcing safety rules

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

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    Helping guests and enforcing safety rules carry over. Flight attendants earn $61,510 in Boston, and the field is projected to grow 10.2%.

    Pay difference
    +$27,490 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +10.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

    Guiding people and keeping them safe carry over. Bus drivers earn $70,120 in Boston, with moderate on-the-job training and 9.3% projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$36,100 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
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    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

    Serving patrons at events and keeping spaces clean carry over. It needs only short on-the-job training, and projected growth is 6.5%.

    Pay difference
    +$3,310 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +6.5%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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