Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Occupation-level safety SOC 49-9071

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Occupation-specific BLS fatality and injury rates set the reading order for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, then wages beside peers such as Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay, Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines, Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians, Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Maintenance and Repair Workers, General: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103K) , Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines ($66K) , Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians ($80K) , Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers ($74K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Maintenance and Repair Workers, General publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 49-9071 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preven…
  2. 2. Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions
  3. 3. Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges
  4. 4. Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision me…
  5. 5. Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers
  6. 6. Perform routine maintenance on boilers, such as replacing burners or hoses, installing replacement parts, or reinforcing structural weakn…
  7. 7. Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary
  8. 8. Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures
  9. 9. Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment
  10. 10. Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery
  11. 11. Provide groundskeeping services, such as landscaping or snow removal
  12. 12. Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General: O*NET ranks Equipment Maintenance first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 49-9071 - lead skill Equipment Maintenance at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Equipment Maintenance 3.9
  2. 2. Repairing 3.9
  3. 3. Troubleshooting 3.8
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.3
  5. 5. Active Learning 3.1
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.1
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.1
  8. 8. Operations Monitoring 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 4.0
  2. 2. English Language 3.7
  3. 3. Building and Construction 3.7
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.4
  5. 5. Production and Processing 3.1
  6. 6. Customer and Personal Service 2.9
Occupation safety grade
B
Safe
Transparent derived index from BLS CFOI/SOII, not an official BLS rating · formula
National median still $49,590/yr
$50K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
159,800
Annual openings
1,529,700
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 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

1. California $57,000
2. Illinois $56,720
3. District of Columbia $60,310
4. Minnesota $59,200
5. Hawaii $57,960
6. Alaska $60,270
7. Massachusetts $58,320
8. Connecticut $57,620
9. Washington $59,160
10. New York $57,790

Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles

  1. 1. Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $103,020
  2. 2. Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians $79,870
  3. 3. Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines $65,510
  4. 4. Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers $74,330
  5. 5. Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment $84,890
  6. 6. First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $79,860

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General carries an occupation-specific WageDex safety grade of B from BLS CFOI/SOII rates. The national OEWS median is $49,590 inside Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (SOC 49-9071).

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 159,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $57,000. 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.

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General pay-rank #39 in Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

On the Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations median table (51 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Maintenance and Repair Workers, General lands at #39, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-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 49-9071 · national median $49,590 · lower third of Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (#39/51). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 49-9071

California · top state for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

$57K published median

Illinois · #2 state pay

$57K · behind California

Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay

Highest-pay peer vs Maintenance and Repair Workers, General · $103K

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

Lower-pay peer beside Maintenance and Repair Workers, General · $66K

Compare Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Maintenance and Repair Workers, General with another occupation →

Safety and risk next reads

Safest Occupations

Roles with the strongest published safety grades

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General full wage map

State and metro pay after the safety lead

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Maintenance and Repair Workers, General land on the Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations median table? ▼
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General is pay-rank #39 of 51 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other ($49K), Motorcycle Mechanics ($49K), Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics ($51K), Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles ($48K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do maintenance and repair workers, general do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General. Leading ones include: Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preven…; Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions; Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges; Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision me…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for maintenance and repair workers, general? ▼
For SOC 49-9071, O*NET importance scores lead with Equipment Maintenance (3.9), Repairing (3.9), Troubleshooting (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, English Language, Building and Construction. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $49,590 as the national median for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General. The published 10th-90th range is $35,350 to $77,180. Beside Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103,020), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 159,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Maintenance and Repair Workers, General? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General? ▼
California ($57,000), Illinois ($56,720), District of Columbia ($60,310) 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 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 49-9071. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General. 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