Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 49-9041

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Projected +16% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay, Watch and Clock Repairers, Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, Rail Car Repairers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Industrial Machinery Mechanics: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103K) , Watch and Clock Repairers ($67K) , Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers ($95K) , Rail Car Repairers ($68K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Industrial Machinery Mechanics publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 49-9041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment
  2. 2. Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment
  3. 3. Clean, lubricate, or adjust parts, equipment, or machinery
  4. 4. Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs
  5. 5. Reassemble equipment after completion of inspections, testing, or repairs
  6. 6. Examine parts for defects, such as breakage or excessive wear
  7. 7. Record repairs and maintenance performed
  8. 8. Operate newly repaired machinery or equipment to verify the adequacy of repairs
  9. 9. Record parts or materials used and order or requisition new parts or materials, as necessary
  10. 10. Observe and test the operation of machinery or equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using voltmeters or other testing devices
  11. 11. Analyze test results, machine error messages, or information obtained from operators to diagnose equipment problems
  12. 12. Study blueprints or manufacturers' manuals to determine correct installation or operation of machinery

Industrial Machinery Mechanics: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 49-9041 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 4.0
  2. 2. Operation and Control 4.0
  3. 3. Equipment Maintenance 4.0
  4. 4. Troubleshooting 4.0
  5. 5. Repairing 4.0
  6. 6. Quality Control Analysis 3.8
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.6
  8. 8. Active Listening 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 4.3
  2. 2. English Language 3.5
  3. 3. Production and Processing 3.4
  4. 4. Engineering and Technology 3.3
  5. 5. Design 3.3
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.1
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +16%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $64,520/yr
$65K
National median
45,700
Annual openings
439,640
Estimated US jobs
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
Highest-pay peer · $103K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Industrial Machinery Mechanics

1. Arizona $74,790
2. District of Columbia $87,670
3. Colorado $75,600
4. Hawaii $77,330
5. Wyoming $78,320
6. Nevada $77,750
7. Alaska $77,390
8. Illinois $76,200
9. Oregon $75,670
10. Washington $77,220

Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles

  1. 1. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $95,320
  2. 2. Rail Car Repairers $67,530
  3. 3. Commercial Divers $72,990
  4. 4. Watch and Clock Repairers $67,230
  5. 5. First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $79,860
  6. 6. Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $103,020

BLS projects +16% employment change for Industrial Machinery Mechanics (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $64,520.

BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Arizona at $74,790. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay at $103,020. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Industrial Machinery Mechanics pay-rank #17 in Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

Among 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations with a published OEWS median, Industrial Machinery Mechanics is pay-rank #17, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 49-9041 · national median $64,520 · upper third of Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (#17/51). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Industrial Machinery Mechanics salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 49-9041

Arizona · top state for Industrial Machinery Mechanics

$75K published median

District of Columbia · #2 state pay

$88K · behind Arizona

Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay

Highest-pay peer vs Industrial Machinery Mechanics · $103K

Watch and Clock Repairers

Lower-pay peer beside Industrial Machinery Mechanics · $67K

Compare Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Industrial Machinery Mechanics with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles sit near Industrial Machinery Mechanics at the top of the pay table? ▼
Industrial Machinery Mechanics is pay-rank #17 of 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines ($66K), Millwrights ($66K), Watch and Clock Repairers ($67K), Rail Car Repairers ($68K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do industrial machinery mechanics do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Industrial Machinery Mechanics. Leading ones include: Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment; Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment; Clean, lubricate, or adjust parts, equipment, or machinery; Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for industrial machinery mechanics? ▼
For SOC 49-9041, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (4.0), Operation and Control (4.0), Equipment Maintenance (4.0), Troubleshooting (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, English Language, Production and Processing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Industrial Machinery Mechanics? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $64,520 as the national median for Industrial Machinery Mechanics. The published 10th-90th range is $46,120 to $95,170. Beside Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103,020), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Industrial Machinery Mechanics projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Industrial Machinery Mechanics at +16% change for 2024-2034, with about 45,700 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Industrial Machinery Mechanics? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Industrial Machinery Mechanics. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Industrial Machinery Mechanics? ▼
Arizona ($74,790), District of Columbia ($87,670), Colorado ($75,600) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Industrial Machinery Mechanics card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 49-9041. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Industrial Machinery Mechanics. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics