Personal care and service
Costume attendant
Select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers. May assist with multiple costume changes during performances.
Median pay
$50,400
Growth to 2035
+6%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
1,700
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Costume attendant
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Hazardous conditions
Costume attendant: 40% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
- Design or construct costumes or send them to tailors for construction, major repairs, or alterations.
- Examine costume fit on cast members and sketch or write notes for alterations.
- Distribute costumes or related equipment and keep records of item status.
- Check the appearance of costumes on stage or under lights to determine whether desired effects are being achieved.
- Clean and press costumes before and after performances and perform any minor repairs.
Also called: Costume Draper · Costume Seamstress · Costumer · Draper · Dresser · Wardrobe Assistant · Wardrobe Attendant · Wardrobe Supervisor
Outlook and AI
Costume attendants held 6,600 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 7,000 by 2035 (+6%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Costume attendant vs. Fashion designer
- Costume attendant vs. Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers
- Costume attendant vs. Makeup artists, theatrical and performance
- Costume attendant vs. Fabric and apparel patternmakers
- Costume attendant vs. Set and exhibit designers
- Costume attendant vs. Sewers, hand
- Costume attendant vs. Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers
- Costume attendant vs. Interior designer
- Costume attendant vs. Sewing machine operator
- Costume attendant vs. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers