Costume Attendants
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 39-3092.00United States
Select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers. May assist with multiple costume changes during performances.
- Median annual earnings
- $51,591
- Projected change
- +12.8%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 8.12K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
42.6% of the workforce
Growing to 9.16K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What costume attendants do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Create worksheets for dressing lists, show notes, or costume checks.
- Provide dressing assistance to cast members or assign cast dressers to assist specific cast members with costume changes.
- Arrange costumes in order of use to facilitate quick-change procedures for performances.
- Distribute costumes or related equipment and keep records of item status.
- Design or construct costumes or send them to tailors for construction, major repairs, or alterations.
- Check the appearance of costumes on stage or under lights to determine whether desired effects are being achieved.
- Examine costume fit on cast members and sketch or write notes for alterations.
- Clean and press costumes before and after performances and perform any minor repairs.
- Collaborate with production designers, costume designers, or other production staff to discuss and execute costume design details.
- Monitor, maintain, or secure inventories of costumes, wigs, or makeup, providing keys or access to assigned directors, costume designers, or wardrobe mistresses/masters.
- Purchase, rent, or requisition costumes or other wardrobe necessities.
- Return borrowed or rented items when productions are complete and return other items to storage.
- Review scripts or other production information to determine a story's locale or period, as well as the number of characters and required costumes.
- Study books, pictures, or examples of period clothing to determine styles worn during specific periods in history.
- Inventory stock to determine types or conditions of available costuming.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $30,395
- 25th percentile
- $37,641
- 50th percentile
- $51,591
- 75th percentile
- $80,800
- 90th percentile
- $128,297
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $51,591 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+12.8%faster than average
20258,123 jobs
2035 projected9,160 jobs
1,037 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 42.6%
- Bachelor's degree
- 29.6%
- Some college
- 14.9%
- Certificate
- 7.5%
- Associate degree
- 3.9%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 1.5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Wardrobe Attendants120 postings
- 02Retail Sales Workers82 postings
- 03Wardrobe Managers67 postings
- 04Uniform Attendants66 postings
- 05Costumers46 postings
- 06Costume Assistants44 postings
- 07Pro Shop Attendants41 postings
- 08Wardrobe Assistants34 postings
- 09Costume Designers/Wardrobe Stylists33 postings
- 10Sign Shop Managers30 postings
- 11Golf Shop Attendants27 postings
- 12Wardrobe Supervisors25 postings
- 13Costume Shop Assistants23 postings
- 14Backstage Assistants22 postings
- 15Costume Design Assistants22 postings
- 16Gaming Associates22 postings
- 17Retail Attendants20 postings
- 18Cleaning Attendants19 postings
- 19Costume Technicians19 postings
- 20Sorters19 postings
Top employers
- 01Goodwill120 postings
- 02Cedar Point116 postings
- 03Aramark77 postings
- 04Carowinds55 postings
- 05Six Flags Entertainment Corporation44 postings
- 06Serena & Lily30 postings
- 07Troon Golf, L.L.C.30 postings
- 08Troon24 postings
- 09Macy's19 postings
- 10Gabe’s - Gabriel Brothers17 postings
- 11Kings Dominion16 postings
- 12Legends Global15 postings
- 13MGM Resorts International14 postings
- 14Kiawah Island Golf Resort13 postings
- 15Oak View Group12 postings
- 16Gabriel Brothers11 postings
- 17Caesars Entertainment10 postings
- 18Community College of Baltimore County10 postings
- 19Bloomingdale's9 postings
- 20Cirque Du Soleil9 postings
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