diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters/maxinflight.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters/maxinflight.go
index d84bc4b8a74..acfcf78c3f0 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters/maxinflight.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters/maxinflight.go
@@ -91,8 +91,8 @@ func (w *requestWatermark) recordReadOnly(readOnlyVal int) {
 // watermark tracks requests being executed (not waiting in a queue)
 var watermark = &requestWatermark{
 	phase:            metrics.ExecutingPhase,
-	readOnlyObserver: fcmetrics.ReadWriteConcurrencyPairVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(1, 1, []string{metrics.ReadOnlyKind}).RequestsExecuting,
-	mutatingObserver: fcmetrics.ReadWriteConcurrencyPairVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(1, 1, []string{metrics.MutatingKind}).RequestsExecuting,
+	readOnlyObserver: fcmetrics.ReadWriteConcurrencyGaugeVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(0, 1, []string{fcmetrics.LabelValueExecuting, metrics.ReadOnlyKind}),
+	mutatingObserver: fcmetrics.ReadWriteConcurrencyGaugeVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(0, 1, []string{fcmetrics.LabelValueExecuting, metrics.MutatingKind}),
 }
 
 // startWatermarkMaintenance starts the goroutines to observe and maintain the specified watermark.
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters/priority-and-fairness.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters/priority-and-fairness.go
index 3dcd827890f..bd3116ed5fe 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters/priority-and-fairness.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/filters/priority-and-fairness.go
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ type PriorityAndFairnessClassification struct {
 // waitingMark tracks requests waiting rather than being executed
 var waitingMark = &requestWatermark{
 	phase:            epmetrics.WaitingPhase,
-	readOnlyObserver: fcmetrics.ReadWriteConcurrencyPairVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(1, 1, []string{epmetrics.ReadOnlyKind}).RequestsWaiting,
-	mutatingObserver: fcmetrics.ReadWriteConcurrencyPairVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(1, 1, []string{epmetrics.MutatingKind}).RequestsWaiting,
+	readOnlyObserver: fcmetrics.ReadWriteConcurrencyGaugeVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(0, 1, []string{fcmetrics.LabelValueWaiting, epmetrics.ReadOnlyKind}),
+	mutatingObserver: fcmetrics.ReadWriteConcurrencyGaugeVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(0, 1, []string{fcmetrics.LabelValueWaiting, epmetrics.MutatingKind}),
 }
 
 var atomicMutatingExecuting, atomicReadOnlyExecuting int32
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/flowcontrol/metrics/metrics.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/flowcontrol/metrics/metrics.go
index 319eea3dcde..ae23d29cc1d 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/flowcontrol/metrics/metrics.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/flowcontrol/metrics/metrics.go
@@ -147,8 +147,8 @@ var (
 		},
 		[]string{priorityLevel},
 	)
-	// ReadWriteConcurrencyPairVec creates pairs that observe concurrency broken down by mutating vs readonly
-	ReadWriteConcurrencyPairVec = NewSampleAndWaterMarkHistogramsPairVec(clock.RealClock{}, time.Millisecond,
+	// ReadWriteConcurrencyGaugeVec creates gauges of number of requests broken down by phase and mutating vs readonly
+	ReadWriteConcurrencyGaugeVec = NewSampleAndWaterMarkHistogramsVec(clock.RealClock{}, time.Millisecond,
 		&compbasemetrics.HistogramOpts{
 			Namespace:      namespace,
 			Subsystem:      subsystem,
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ var (
 			Buckets:        []float64{0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1},
 			StabilityLevel: compbasemetrics.ALPHA,
 		},
-		[]string{requestKind},
+		[]string{LabelNamePhase, requestKind},
 	)
 	apiserverCurrentR = compbasemetrics.NewGaugeVec(
 		&compbasemetrics.GaugeOpts{
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ var (
 	}.
 		Append(PriorityLevelExecutionSeatsGaugeVec.metrics()...).
 		Append(PriorityLevelConcurrencyPairVec.metrics()...).
-		Append(ReadWriteConcurrencyPairVec.metrics()...)
+		Append(ReadWriteConcurrencyGaugeVec.metrics()...)
 )
 
 // AddRequestsInQueues adds the given delta to the gauge of the # of requests in the queues of the specified flowSchema and priorityLevel
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/flowcontrol/metrics/sample_and_watermark.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/flowcontrol/metrics/sample_and_watermark.go
index 1b43bfb2e2a..daa35b28fec 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/flowcontrol/metrics/sample_and_watermark.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/flowcontrol/metrics/sample_and_watermark.go
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ const (
 	labelNameMark       = "mark"
 	labelValueLo        = "low"
 	labelValueHi        = "high"
-	labelNamePhase      = "phase"
-	labelValueWaiting   = "waiting"
-	labelValueExecuting = "executing"
+	LabelNamePhase      = "phase"
+	LabelValueWaiting   = "waiting"
+	LabelValueExecuting = "executing"
 )
 
 // SampleAndWaterMarkPairVec makes pairs of RatioedGauges that
@@ -45,15 +45,15 @@ var _ RatioedGaugePairVec = SampleAndWaterMarkPairVec{}
 // NewSampleAndWaterMarkHistogramsPairVec makes a new pair generator
 func NewSampleAndWaterMarkHistogramsPairVec(clock clock.PassiveClock, samplePeriod time.Duration, sampleOpts, waterMarkOpts *compbasemetrics.HistogramOpts, labelNames []string) SampleAndWaterMarkPairVec {
 	return SampleAndWaterMarkPairVec{
-		urVec: NewSampleAndWaterMarkHistogramsVec(clock, samplePeriod, sampleOpts, waterMarkOpts, append([]string{labelNamePhase}, labelNames...)),
+		urVec: NewSampleAndWaterMarkHistogramsVec(clock, samplePeriod, sampleOpts, waterMarkOpts, append([]string{LabelNamePhase}, labelNames...)),
 	}
 }
 
 // NewForLabelValuesSafe makes a new pair
 func (spg SampleAndWaterMarkPairVec) NewForLabelValuesSafe(initialWaitingDenominator, initialExecutingDenominator float64, labelValues []string) RatioedGaugePair {
 	return RatioedGaugePair{
-		RequestsWaiting:   spg.urVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(0, initialWaitingDenominator, append([]string{labelValueWaiting}, labelValues...)),
-		RequestsExecuting: spg.urVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(0, initialExecutingDenominator, append([]string{labelValueExecuting}, labelValues...)),
+		RequestsWaiting:   spg.urVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(0, initialWaitingDenominator, append([]string{LabelValueWaiting}, labelValues...)),
+		RequestsExecuting: spg.urVec.NewForLabelValuesSafe(0, initialExecutingDenominator, append([]string{LabelValueExecuting}, labelValues...)),
 	}
 }