# Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers

US SOC code 39-3031. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/39-3031

Also called: Usher, Ticket taker, Lobby attendant, Gate attendant, Door staff.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **121,770** US ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers, with median pay of **$32,910** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/theaters) of **110,000** from 1930, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers: Mobile ticket + venue management software, 2010 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to change +0.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-3031&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **20%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1825
- Latest US employment: 121,770 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $32,910 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +0.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [17]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1930 | 110,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Encyclopedia.com [1] |
| 1940 | n/a | $780 (estimate) | Est., US Department of Labor [5] |
| 1946 | 145,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Cinema of the United States [2] |
| 1970 | 75,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., University of Dayton / eCommons [3] |
| 2003 | 109,290 | $14,700 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 110,420 | $15,190 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 102,330 | $15,400 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 101,530 | $15,880 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 106,700 | $16,340 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 106,570 | $17,360 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 104,360 | $18,050 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 107,200 | $18,560 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 105,560 | $18,610 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 106,860 | $18,730 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 106,770 | $18,680 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 113,700 | $18,760 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 114,000 | $19,180 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 117,920 | $19,920 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 124,710 | $20,820 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 133,970 | $22,260 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 138,160 | $23,500 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 95,600 | $25,110 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 54,970 | $24,440 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 98,350 | $27,650 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 117,560 | $29,780 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 119,210 | $31,150 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 121,770 | $32,910 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (78)

### Employment series

1. [Encyclopedia.com — "Theaters" (17,500 US movie theaters operating in the 1940s; one per 8,000 people; peak attendance 90 million weekly in 1946)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/theaters), Encyclopedia.com
2. [Cinema of the United States — Wikipedia (peak weekly attendance 90 million in 1946; 17,500 theaters operating at peak)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_the_United_States), Wikipedia
3. [The Decline in Average Weekly Cinema Attendance, 1930-2000 (University of Dayton eCommons) — attendance trajectory from 90M (1946) to 40M (1960) through multiplex era](https://ecommons.udayton.edu/pol_fac_pub/23/), University of Dayton / eCommons
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [US Department of Labor — History of Federal Minimum Wage Rates Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 1938-2009](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/history/chart), US Department of Labor / Wage and Hour Division
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

7. [Theatre Historical Society of America — "Right This Way, Please: Theatre Ushers" (usher role in theater history)](https://theatrehistoricalsociety-blog.tumblr.com/post/155434770646/right-this-way-pleasetheatre-ushers), Theatre Historical Society of America
8. [Encyclopedia.com — "Movie Palaces" (nickelodeon-to-palace transition; ticket-taking and usher role evolution)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/movie-palaces), Encyclopedia.com
9. [America Comes Alive — "Movie Palaces: A Film and an Experience" (Roxy usher training; Cole Porter lyric 1932; uniformed corps at major houses)](https://americacomesalive.com/movies-today-the-3-d-experience-is-a-draw-yesterdays-audiences-also-came-for-an-experience/), America Comes Alive
10. [Historic Theatres.org — "Gone But Not Forgotten: Things We No Longer See in Movie Theatres" (uniformed ushers as a vanished institution; decline timeline)](https://historictheatres.org/gone-but-not-forgotten-things-we-no-longer-see-in-movie-theatres/), Theatre Historical Society of America
11. [Boxoffice Pro — "A Century in Exhibition: The 1970s" (multiplex construction boom; shift away from single-screen palace model)](https://www.boxofficepro.com/century-in-exhibition-1970s-boxoffice-history/), Boxoffice Pro
12. [Vault.com — "Stadium Ushers and Vendors: About" (ushers and vendors in sports and entertainment venues; role evolution)](https://vault.com/careers/professions), Vault.com
13. [Softjourn — "Top 6 Ways AI is Transforming Ticketing in 2026" (mobile ticket adoption; transition from paper to digital QR to biometric)](https://softjourn.com/insights/how-ai-is-transforming-the-ticketing-industry), Softjourn
14. [Ticketmaster for Business — "Biometric Entry Is Transforming Live Event Access" (66% growth in self-service entry 2024; biometric doubled globally; streamline staffing)](https://business.ticketmaster.com/biometric-entry-transforming-live-event-access/), Ticketmaster / Live Nation
15. [IDTechWire — "Wicket's Face-Scanning Crosses 5 Million Uses as Stadiums Expand Biometric Entry" (50+ pro sports teams; 300ms matching; University of Florida first college venue)](https://idtechwire.com/wickets-face-scanning-crosses-5-million-uses-as-stadiums-expand-biometric-entry/), IDTechWire
16. [PR Newswire — "ASM Global begins deployment of facial verification network at sports and entertainment venues with industry-first PopID technology partnership" (March 2022)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asm-global-begins-deployment-of-facial-verification-network-at-sports--entertainment-venues-with-industry-first-popid-technology-partnership-301529017.html), ASM Global / PR Newswire

### Forecasts and exposure studies

17. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 39-3031 Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers (2025: 124.5 thousand; 2035: 125.6 thousand; +0.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-3031&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
18. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 39-3031.00, human-rated β 0.2)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

19. [America Comes Alive — "Movie Palaces: A Film and an Experience" (Roxy opening 1927; military usher training; Cole Porter reference)](https://americacomesalive.com/movies-today-the-3-d-experience-is-a-draw-yesterdays-audiences-also-came-for-an-experience/), America Comes Alive
20. [Encyclopedia.com — "Theaters" (17,500 theaters; 90 million weekly attendance peak 1946; television impact)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/theaters), Encyclopedia.com
21. [Wikipedia — Movie palace (US Supreme Court Paramount decision 1948; studio divestiture of theater chains)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_palace), Wikipedia
22. [Boxoffice Pro — "A Century in Exhibition: The 1970s: A New Hope" (multiplex construction; decade of the complex theater type; end of single-screen palace era)](https://www.boxofficepro.com/century-in-exhibition-1970s-boxoffice-history/), Boxoffice Pro
23. [US GAO — "Entertainment Venues Have Reopened. We Examined Efforts to Aid Them During the Pandemic" (SVOG $14.6B; 53.3% employment decline May 2020; recovery timeline)](https://www.gao.gov/blog/entertainment-venues-have-reopened.-we-examined-efforts-aid-them-during-pandemic), US Government Accountability Office
24. [PR Newswire — "ASM Global begins deployment of facial verification network at sports and entertainment venues with industry-first PopID technology partnership" (March 2022)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asm-global-begins-deployment-of-facial-verification-network-at-sports--entertainment-venues-with-industry-first-popid-technology-partnership-301529017.html), ASM Global / PR Newswire

### Predecessors & successors

25. [Theatre Historical Society of America — "Right This Way, Please: Theatre Ushers" (pre-cinema usher origins in live theater)](https://theatrehistoricalsociety-blog.tumblr.com/post/155434770646/right-this-way-pleasetheatre-ushers), Theatre Historical Society of America

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers (39-3031.00): tasks, wages, employment outlook, work context](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/39-3031.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Ticketmaster for Business — Biometric Entry Is Transforming Live Event Access: self-service entry integrations grew 66% in 2024; biometric entry doubled globally; Wicket cited as Nexus Partner](https://business.ticketmaster.com/biometric-entry-transforming-live-event-access/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Wicket — Face-based entry platform: 5M+ scans, 50+ pro sports teams (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, NWSL, WNBA), 300ms matching at 99.7% accuracy; Top Golf Tech Award 2025](https://www.wicketsoft.com/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [ASM Global / PopID — PR Newswire: ASM Global begins deployment of facial verification network at 350+ sports and entertainment venues via PopID partnership (March 2022)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asm-global-begins-deployment-of-facial-verification-network-at-sports--entertainment-venues-with-industry-first-popid-technology-partnership-301529017.html), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Softjourn — Top 6 Ways AI is Transforming Ticketing in 2026 (Jan 2026): fraud detection, chatbots, biometrics, dynamic pricing, AI-powered event discovery](https://softjourn.com/insights/how-ai-is-transforming-the-ticketing-industry), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Ticket Fairy — AI-Powered Venue Operations in 2026: AI scheduling cuts overtime ~15%; chatbots handle 40% of guest inquiries; computer vision crowd monitoring; biometric entry deployed at NFL stadium express lanes](https://www.ticketfairy.com/blog/ai-powered-venue-operations-in-2026-automating-management-for-efficiency-and-enhanced-experiences), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Momentus — State of AI in Venue and Event Management Q1 2026: 64% of venue leaders view AI as highly significant; only 7% actively piloting; 66% prefer human-led operations with technology support](https://gomomentus.com/state-of-ai-report), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact of LLMs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Wicket — 5M+ face-based scans; 50+ pro sports teams; 300ms authentication; University of Florida first college venue with Express Entry for 2025 football season](https://idtechwire.com/wickets-face-scanning-crosses-5-million-uses-as-stadiums-expand-biometric-entry/), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.