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.

Most important skills

  1. Active Listening
  2. Speaking
  3. Social Perceptiveness
  4. Coordination
  5. Service Orientation
  6. Reading Comprehension
  7. Critical Thinking
  8. Monitoring

Key knowledge

  1. Customer and Personal Service
  2. English Language
  3. Sales and Marketing
  4. Mathematics
  5. Computers and Electronics
  6. Public Safety and Security
  7. Administrative
  8. Administration and Management

What the work involves

  • Greet patrons attending entertainment events.
  • Examine tickets or passes to verify authenticity, using criteria such as color or date issued.
  • Guide patrons to exits or provide other instructions or assistance in case of emergency.
  • Maintain order and ensure adherence to safety rules.
  • Provide assistance with patrons' special needs, such as helping those with wheelchairs.
  • Refuse admittance to undesirable persons or persons without tickets or passes.
  • Settle seating disputes or help solve other customer concerns.
  • Search for lost articles or for parents of lost children.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Conventional, Social, Enterprising.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education
Less than a High School Diploma (53% of expert ratings)
Related experience
None (75.3%)
On-the-job training
Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (44.2%)
Preparation level
O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Licensing
Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
  • Licensing for Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
  • Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
  • Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
ConditionLevelCompared with other occupationsMost common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with othersVery highHigher on contact with others than 93% of occupations compared90% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the publicVery highHigher on dealing with the public than 96% of occupations compared78% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
TeamworkHighHigher on teamwork than 79% of occupations compared66% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisionsVery lowLower on freedom to make decisions than 85% of occupations compared43% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressureVery lowLower on time pressure than 96% of occupations compared26% of surveyed respondents chose “Never”
Conflict situationsLowLower on conflict situations than 60% of occupations compared34% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry peopleHighHigher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 73% of occupations compared45% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Consequence of errorLowLower on consequence of error than 74% of occupations compared53% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

  • Time pressure: very low
  • Conflict situations: low
  • Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
  • Consequence of error: low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions

Contact with others

  • No contact with others: 0%
  • Occasional contact with others: 0%
  • Contact with others about half the time: 0%
  • Contact with others most of the time: 9.69%
  • Constant contact with others: 90.31%

n = 19, Incumbent 08/2026

Dealing with the public

  • Not important at all: 0%
  • Fairly important: 0%
  • Important: 3.27%
  • Very important: 18.92%
  • Extremely important: 77.81%

n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026

Teamwork

  • Not important at all: 0%
  • Fairly important: 0%
  • Important: 6.86%
  • Very important: 26.94%
  • Extremely important: 66.2%

n = 19, Incumbent 08/2026

Freedom to make decisions

  • No freedom: 0%
  • Very little freedom: 4.71%
  • Limited freedom: 41.79%
  • Some freedom: 43.26%
  • A lot of freedom: 10.24%

n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026

Time pressure

  • Never: 26.17%
  • Once a year or more but not every month: 17.15%
  • Once a month or more but not every week: 23.6%
  • Once a week or more but not every day: 9.01%
  • Every day: 24.07%

n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026

Conflict situations

  • Never: 13.09%
  • Once a year or more but not every month: 33.59%
  • Once a month or more but not every week: 24.73%
  • Once a week or more but not every day: 28.59%
  • Every day: 0%

n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026

Dealing with unpleasant or angry people

  • Never: 9.82%
  • Once a year or more but not every month: 9.23%
  • Once a month or more but not every week: 31.32%
  • Once a week or more but not every day: 44.93%
  • Every day: 4.71%

n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026

Consequence of error

  • Not serious at all: 15.61%
  • Fairly serious: 52.53%
  • Serious: 13.31%
  • Very serious: 4.73%
  • Extremely serious: 13.83%

n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026

Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer

Where people with this background could move

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  • Waiters and Waitresses

    Closeness 94/100

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  • Fast Food and Counter Workers

    Closeness 93/100

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  • Cashiers

    Closeness 93/100

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  • Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

    Closeness 92/100

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  • Parking Attendants

    Closeness 92/100

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Find more alternativesCompare skills with another job

O*NET-SOC 39-3031.00 · SOC 39-3031 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8