Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment Salary
The median electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment salary in the United States is $74,090 per year ($35.62/hour). Salaries range from $46,840 at the entry level to $105,590+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 65,010 electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to decline 0.8% through 2034.
Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Salary Distribution
Job Growth (2024-2034)
Annual Openings
Education Required
Training Needed
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment Career Guide
Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipments.
Electrical and electronics repairers for commercial and industrial equipment (BLS SOC 49-2094) are the plant-floor technicians who diagnose and repair PLCs, VFDs, servo drives, motor controls, switchgear, and industrial instrumentation across manufacturing, utility, and process-industry environments. Typical seats: Controls Technician at a Tier-1 automotive plant (Ford, GM, Stellantis, Toyota, Honda, Tesla), a food and beverage plant (Nestle, Tyson, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz), or a pharma/CPG plant (Merck, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Unilever); Instrumentation and Electrical Technician (I&E Tech) at an oil and gas midstream (Kinder Morgan, Enterprise Products, Enbridge), a chemical plant (Dow, LyondellBasell, ExxonMobil Chemical, INEOS), or a utility (Duke Energy, Southern Company, NextEra, PG&E, ConEd); Field Service Engineer at Rockwell Automation, Siemens, ABB, Schneider Electric, Emerson, Yokogawa, Honeywell Process Solutions, or a system integrator (Barry-Wehmiller Design Group, Automation NTH, ESE, Malisko Engineering). BLS reports 65,010 employed with a median of $74,090, p10 $46,220, p90 $105,410+. Entry Controls / I&E Tech I $52-68k; established Controls / I&E Tech II $68-90k; Sr Controls Tech / Lead I&E $88-115k; Controls Engineer / Sr I&E Tech $105-140k+. The single biggest earnings lever is completing NFPA 70E arc-flash + a full Rockwell / Siemens / ABB PLC certification stack and moving into a Sr Controls Tech seat at a Tier-1 auto, midstream oil and gas, or high-margin chemical / pharma plant β union operator seats at UAW, USW, or ICWUC facilities layer on defined-benefit pension eligibility that regularly pushes total comp 20-35% above equivalent non-union seats.
Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For
How to Become a Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
- 1Complete a 2-year electrical or industrial-maintenance A.A.S., a union apprenticeship, or military electronics trainingCommunity-college Industrial Maintenance / Electrical Technology / Mechatronics A.A.S. (18-24 months) with PLC, motor-controls, and instrumentation coursework. Alternate paths: 4-5 year IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) or IUOE (International Union of Operating Engineers) apprenticeship; UAW / USW-sponsored plant apprenticeship at auto and steel facilities; military electronics or industrial-controls training (Army 91E Allied Trades, Navy Electrician's Mate, Air Force 3E1X1 HVAC-R, Marine 1391 Bulk Fuel Specialist, Navy IC / EM ratings). Focus on 480V three-phase power, motor control, PLC ladder logic, and instrumentation loop wiring.
- 2Earn a state electrical journeyman license (where required) and OSHA 10 / 30 General IndustryState-specific journeyman electrical license β required in some states (TX, WA, OR, NV, some counties in CA and FL) for any industrial electrical work. OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 General Industry β standard hire-time requirement at nearly all industrial plants; often layered with site-specific safety orientation (PSM sites, food-grade GMP sites, cleanroom cGMP sites).
- 3Start as Controls Tech I / I&E Tech I / Maintenance Electrician at $52-68k salaried + shift diff + benefitsFirst seat β usually rotational shift work (2nd / 3rd / weekend) at a manufacturing plant, midstream facility, or utility substation. Ownership of a shift break/fix queue under Sr Tech supervision. Union seats at UAW / USW / ICWUC plants typically start higher on hourly ($32-42/hr + shift diff + pension) than non-union salaried equivalents. Companies at this rung: Ford, GM, Stellantis, Toyota, Honda, Tesla, Nissan, Nestle, Tyson, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, Merck, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Dow, LyondellBasell, ExxonMobil Chemical, Duke Energy, Southern Company, NextEra, PG&E, Kinder Morgan, Enterprise Products, Enbridge, Rockwell Automation Field Service, Siemens Field Service, ABB Field Service, Schneider Electric Field Service, Emerson Field Service.
- 4Complete Rockwell / Siemens / ABB PLC certifications + NFPA 70E arc-flash trainingRockwell Automation Studio 5000 Level 1 + Level 2 + ControlLogix Fundamentals β the North American manufacturing baseline; typically employer-paid via Rockwell TechED or a local Rockwell distributor. Siemens SITRAIN TIA Portal S7-1200 / S7-1500 basic + advanced for European-designed equipment. ABB Ability Symphony Plus + Ability System 800xA for chemical and utility. NFPA 70E arc-flash training + annual refresh β required at every industrial site. IEC 61511 functional safety training (TΓV-certified FS Engineer or FS Technician) for SIS-heavy sites.
- 5Advance to Controls / I&E Tech II at $68-90k salaried + shift diff + on-call + benefits3-6 years in seat. Ownership of a full plant area (2-4 production lines, a compressor station, a substation, or a process unit). Lead complex commissioning projects (new-line startup, PLC migration, MCC rebuild). Mentor Tech I. Union plants at this rung often clear $85-105k with overtime and shift differential.
- 6Complete IEC 61511 functional safety + Rockwell TechED / Siemens SITRAIN advanced tracksTΓV-certified Functional Safety Engineer or Technician (through TΓV Rheinland, TΓV SΓD, or exida) β required for SIS-heavy oil and gas, chemical, and pharma seats. Rockwell TechED sessions or Siemens SITRAIN advanced tracks β vendor-hosted training weeks with $2-4k tuition each, typically employer-paid. ISA CCST (Certified Control Systems Technician) Level 1 / 2 / 3 β the ISA industry-standard control-systems credential.
- 7Advance to Sr Controls Tech / Lead I&E / Reliability Tech at $88-115k salaried + bonus + benefits8-14 years in seat. Ownership of an entire process area or plant control system; drive PM optimization, RCA on chronic failures, and CAPEX-project support. Direct-hire seats at Tier-1 auto, chemical, midstream, or pharma pay $95-125k + 8-12% target bonus + full benefits + defined-benefit pension at legacy union plants. Some Sr Techs move into Sr Controls Engineer or Instrumentation & Controls Engineer at $115-155k+ if they layer in a B.S. Electrical Engineering (typically Section-127 subsidized via WGU or a regional state school).
Career Progression
- β’Own a shift break/fix queue under Sr Tech supervision (2-4 production lines or a substation area)
- β’Execute LOTO per site procedure; NFPA 70E arc-flash compliance on every energized-work event
- β’Complete preventive maintenance per site CMMS schedule; document parts consumption and time-to-repair
- β’Support commissioning and startup work on CAPEX projects under Sr Tech direction
- β’Own a full plant area (2-4 lines, a compressor station, or a process unit) autonomously
- β’Lead complex commissioning and PLC migrations; write and check-in PLC code changes per site MOC
- β’Mentor Tech I on ride-along; contribute to PM optimization and CMMS taxonomy
- β’Own SIS proof-testing and bypass-management discipline for the assigned area
- β’Own the plant control-system reliability strategy β PM optimization, PdM program, RCA on chronic failures
- β’Lead PLC / DCS migration projects (Rockwell PLC-5 β ControlLogix, Siemens S7-300 β S7-1500) as project lead
- β’Own the plant SIS proof-test schedule and bypass-management program
- β’Interface with plant reliability engineering, process safety, and CAPEX project engineering
- β’Own plant control-system architecture and PLC/DCS/SIS platform strategy
- β’Lead major CAPEX projects (new-line startup, unit turnaround, SIS upgrade) as engineering lead
- β’Own the plant electrical single-line diagram, arc-flash study, and power-system protection coordination
- β’Represent the plant to corporate engineering, reliability, and process-safety leadership
- β’Own the plant's engineering, controls, and reliability programs β 10-40 Techs and Engineers
- β’Represent the plant to corporate on CAPEX, process safety, and reliability KPIs
- β’Own the plant's turnaround / shutdown execution planning
- β’Own capital planning and budget for controls, instrumentation, and electrical infrastructure
Interview Questions & Answers
5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.
Q1. Walk me through the last complex PLC troubleshooting call you handled.technical
Q2. How do you handle a chronic failure on a critical piece of production equipment?situational
Q3. Describe an arc-flash or LOTO situation where you enforced the safety standard against pressure.behavioral
Q4. Why controls / I&E rather than staying on the maintenance electrician track?culture
Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer
Resume Template β Controls / I&E Tech II (4-9 yrs)
Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.
- βΈControls Tech II at a Nestle CPG plant covering 8 filler-and-packaging lines with 12 ControlLogix L74 controllers and 42 PowerFlex VFDs; owned line uptime for 2nd shift at 96.4% against 94% plant target.
- βΈLed migration of Filler Line 4 from PLC-5/40 to ControlLogix L74 in 3 shifts of planned outage; zero unplanned downtime post-cutover in the first 90 days.
- βΈReduced Line 6 chronic servo-drive trips from 22/month to 3/month over 6 months through RCA of network utilization and Stratix 5700 VLAN redesign.
- βΈRockwell Studio 5000 Level 1 + Level 2 + Kinetix Servo Motion. NFPA 70E annual. ISA CCST Level 1. $78k base + $2.50/hr 2nd-shift diff + $8k target bonus + full benefits + 401(k) match with 6% company contribution.
What Gets You Rejected
- βNo NFPA 70E arc-flash training after 12+ months in seat β automatic disqualifier for any industrial electrical hire.
- βHistory of LOTO violations or a documented near-miss on a hot-swap event β automatic disqualifier at any credible industrial employer.
- βCannot describe a real PLC fault code and troubleshooting sequence in Rockwell Studio 5000 or Siemens TIA Portal β vague 'I called the vendor' answers.
- βNo Rockwell / Siemens / ABB PLC certification after 24+ months in an industrial controls seat β signals candidate hasn't done the credentialing work.
- βRefuses shift work, weekend on-call, or turnaround coverage β most Controls / I&E seats above Tech I require this.
- βCannot pass a Process Safety Management (PSM) contractor-employee background check β required at all OSHA-covered PSM chemical / refining facilities.
- βDocumented failure to follow site MOC (management of change) for PLC code changes β a repeat MOC violation is a termination event at any credible chemical, pharma, or oil-and-gas facility.
Salary Negotiation Levers
- βUnion-plant pension eligibility β UAW, USW, ICWUC, IBEW, IUOE plants layer defined-benefit pension eligibility that pushes total comp 20-35% above equivalent non-union seats. This is the single biggest total-comp lever in this occupation.
- βPSM-covered facility premium β chemical, refining, and pipeline PSM sites (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119) pay 12-25% above equivalent non-PSM manufacturing seats for the same technical scope.
- βMetro / geographic premium β Gulf Coast (Houston, Baton Rouge), SE Michigan (auto belt), Pacific Northwest (aerospace + tech + utility) pay 10-20% above US median for the same seat.
- βRockwell / Siemens / ABB certification stack β completing Studio 5000 Level 1 + Level 2 + Kinetix Motion or SITRAIN S7-1500 basic + advanced adds $5-12k at Tech II promotion; ISA CCST Level 2 or 3 adds $4-9k at Sr Tech promotion.
- βFunctional safety credential β TΓV-certified FS Engineer or FS Technician (through TΓV Rheinland, TΓV SΓD, or exida) adds $8-18k at SIS-heavy oil and gas, chemical, or pharma sites.
- βShift differential β 2nd shift +$2-4/hr, 3rd shift +$3-6/hr, weekend +$1-4/hr; 12-hour rotating shifts (2 on / 2 off / 3 on / 3 off) at midstream and chemical typically pay a 15-25% total-comp premium over straight-days.
- βOn-call stipend β Sr Controls Tech and Lead I&E on-call rotation typically $150-400/wk + hourly if called in; negotiate as a written offer-letter line item.
- βSign-on bonus β Sr Controls Tech and Lead I&E routinely negotiate $6-20k sign-on when moving between Tier-1 auto, chemical, and midstream employers; direct-hire Sr Controls Engineer sign-on $15-35k.
- βTuition reimbursement β Section 127 caps at $5,250/yr federal tax-free; Fortune-500 industrial employers routinely top this up for a B.S. Electrical Engineering (WGU or state school) if the Controls Engineer track is your target.
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Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment Salary by State
Best Cities (cost-adjusted) βSalary Map β Click a state for details
Top Paying States
| State | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $99,200 | +33.9% |
| North Dakota | $98,700 | +33.2% |
| Alaska | $96,390 | +30.1% |
| Oregon | $91,910 | +24.1% |
| California | $87,080 | +17.5% |
| Wyoming | $86,880 | +17.3% |
| Delaware | $86,290 | +16.5% |
| Hawaii | $85,420 | +15.3% |
| Nevada | $82,680 | +11.6% |
| Maine | $81,180 | +9.6% |
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $122,860 | +65.8% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $109,570 | +47.9% |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $105,520 | +42.4% |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $104,180 | +40.6% |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $100,260 | +35.3% |
| Bismarck, ND | $98,950 | +33.6% |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $97,990 | +32.3% |
| Lynchburg, VA | $97,150 | +31.1% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $96,900 | +30.8% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $95,360 | +28.7% |