Purser vs attendant

The differences between pursers and attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a purser has an average salary of $39,585, which is higher than the $27,453 average annual salary of an attendant.

The top three skills for a purser include safety procedures, customer service and front desk. The most important skills for an attendant are cleanliness, customer service, and home health.

Purser vs attendant overview

	Purser	Attendant
Yearly salary	$39,585	$27,453
Hourly rate	$19.03	$13.20
Growth rate	21%	4%
Number of jobs	108	52,299
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	49	48
Years of experience	-	-

Purser vs attendant salary

Pursers and attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purser	Attendant
Average salary	$39,585	$27,453
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $72,000	Between $20,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Barnard College
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between purser and attendant education

There are a few differences between a purser and an attendant in terms of educational background:

	Purser	Attendant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Hospitality Management	Business
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Crookston	-

Purser vs attendant demographics

Here are the differences between pursers' and attendants' demographics:

	Purser	Attendant
Average age	49	48
Gender ratio	Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8%	Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 9.8% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	29%	4%

Differences between purser and attendant duties and responsibilities

Purser example responsibilities.

Confer with shipboard and shore side management to ensure passenger berthing and over all enjoyment.
Devise and implement specific solutions for sea cloud boutique shop, inventories order, supplies and maintain the crew clothing locker.
Assist in the implementation of safety and quality management program.
Assist physically challenge passengers as appropriate; provide life-saving assistance to ill or incapacitate passengers, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation if require.

Attendant example responsibilities.

Manage events, help guests with outside reservations.
Manage VIP's with personal requirements and assist in their room set up and hospitality experience.
Manage top prize payouts, involving large amounts of funds being transfer across the gaming floor.
Operate POS cash register to manage cash, credit, and debit card transactions for sell items.
Host activities (bingo, casino night, kids club, etc . )
Supervise and entertain children, clean toys and maintain a healthy and clean environment and become CPR certify.

Purser vs attendant skills

Common purser skills

Safety Procedures, 32%
Customer Service, 27%
Front Desk, 15%
Crew Payroll, 8%
Guest Service, 6%
Boutique, 3%

Common attendant skills

Cleanliness, 13%
Customer Service, 7%
Home Health, 7%
Patients, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Emergency Situations, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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