Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other Salary
The median installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other salary in the United States is $49,230 per year ($23.67/hour). Salaries range from $36,080 at the entry level to $77,040+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 176,300 installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 2.4% through 2034.
Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Median Salary
$49,230
per year
Hourly Rate
$23.67
per hour
Employment
176,300
jobs in the U.S.
Salary Distribution
10th percentile
$36,080
25th percentile
$42,170
Median
$49,230
75th percentile
$61,900
90th percentile
$77,040
Job Growth (2024-2034)
+2.4%
As fast as average
Annual Openings
21,500
jobs/year (growth + replacements)
Education Required
High school diploma or equivalent
Training Needed
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other Career Guide
Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all others.
This is the BLS 'catch-all' for maintenance techs who don't fit a specific SOC β playground equipment inspectors and repair techs, commercial fitness equipment technicians, wind turbine service assistants (pre-turbine-tech track), industrial and rolling-door techs, coin-op laundry techs, kitchen equipment techs, and multi-trade helpers at commercial property management firms. Median $49,230, p10 $36,080 (new-hire helpers, non-union markets), p90 $77,040 (senior specialty techs at Otis helper track, industrial door leads, commercial fitness master techs, or property-management chief engineers-in-training) across ~176,300 workers. The role rewards specialty knowledge over generalist maintenance: NICSPI-certified playground inspectors, Life Fitness / Precor factory-certified techs, Otis Elevator helpers on the mechanic pipeline, and Cintas facility service reps all cluster in the p75-p90 band. Company vehicles, tools, and shift/on-call differentials add $4-12k/yr on top of base.
Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For
Mechanical + electrical fundamentals (single-phase and 3-phase up to 480V)
Ohm's law, motor starters, contactors, relays, VFDs, PLC basics. Read schematics β ladder logic and wiring diagrams by heart. Fitness equipment techs, industrial door techs, and elevator helpers all get quizzed on 3-phase power at hire.
Preventive maintenance (PM) and CMMS fluency (Maximo, Fiix, UpKeep, Hippo, ServiceChannel)
PM route planning, work-order dispatch, parts requisition, labor charging, closing tickets with root-cause notes. Multi-site property management (JLL, CBRE) and franchise service (Cintas, Fresenius biomed) all run on CMMS-driven PM cycles.
Specialty diagnostics (fitness electronics, hydraulics, playground surfacing, door operators)
Life Fitness / Precor factory error codes; hydraulic pumps and valves on industrial doors and playground equipment; NICSPI compliance for playground safety surfacing (GMax impact ratings). Depth in one specialty is what unlocks the p75-p90 band.
Blueprint & schematic reading (mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic)
Read commercial fitness equipment service manuals, industrial door operator wiring diagrams, playground assembly drawings, elevator PSCM. Common at every hire panel.
OSHA 10/30 + LOTO (lockout/tagout) + confined space + fall protection
OSHA General Industry standards. Lockout/tagout for electrical or mechanical energy sources β required on every industrial and elevator job. Fall protection above 4 ft (general industry) or 6 ft (construction). Confined space for tank/pit entries.
Customer service & client communication (commercial site work)
Field techs at Cintas, ABM, JLL, CBRE, and OEMs like Life Fitness spend 60-80% of the day at customer sites. Explain what you're doing, get sign-off on work orders, upsell replacement parts or contracts when appropriate. Named customer-service training (Ken Blanchard, Zendesk Field, Marriott GSTS) is a resume plus.
Parts inventory, DOT compliance, and vehicle maintenance
Company van stock (typically $8-25k of inventory), DOT compliance if the van is over 10,001 GVWR, daily pre-trip inspection, monthly reconciliation of van inventory against work orders. Techs get graded on van inventory accuracy β shrinkage kills the P&L on service contracts.
Specialty certifications (NICSPI, CFT, PMPA, OEM-specific)
NICSPI Certified Playground Safety Inspector ($385 exam + 3 years experience); CFT Certified Fitness Technician via IFPHK / vendor-issued; PMPA property-management certifications; OEM factory certifications (Life Fitness, Precor, Cybex, Otis, Overhead Door, Rytec).
How to Become a Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other
- 1Start as a maintenance helper / apprentice (1-3 years)$16-22/hr base. Named entry-level titles: Cintas Fire Protection Apprentice, Otis Elevator Helper (union apprenticeship 4-year IUEC Local track), Life Fitness Field Service Apprentice, CBRE / JLL Facility Engineer 1, Cedar Fair / Six Flags Ride Mechanic Helper. Learn the tools, the equipment, the paperwork.
- 2Get OSHA 10 + OSHA 30 + drive record cleanOSHA 10 is $60-90 online, OSHA 30 is $150-300. Clean MVR (motor vehicle record) is required at every mobile-service employer since you'll drive a company van. Employers pull MVR at hire and annually β DUI, reckless driving, or 3+ moving violations in 3 years disqualify at most shops.
- 3Earn OEM factory certifications in your specialty (fitness, doors, or industrial)Life Fitness and Precor run 2-week factory schools for their techs; Overhead Door and Rytec certify industrial door techs; playground manufacturers (BCI Burke, Landscape Structures, GameTime) certify inspectors on their equipment. Certified techs bill at 15-30% higher labor rates and get first pick of high-margin jobs.
- 4Move to full-scope Service Tech (3-6 years)$48-62k base + company van + tool allowance + $2-4k annual bonus. Named titles: Cintas Facility Service Tech II, Life Fitness Field Service Tech, Otis Elevator Adjuster's Helper (union step 3-4), JLL Chief Engineer 2, Cedar Fair Ride Mechanic II. Independent route or shift accountability.
- 5Advance to Sr Tech / Master Tech / Lead / Trainer (6-15 years)$62-85k+. Master fitness tech (factory-certified across 3+ brands), Sr playground inspector (NICSPI + region-wide accountability), Otis Elevator Mechanic (union journeyman), Chief Engineer at a JLL/CBRE-managed property. These are the p75-p90 roles β most require documented cross-training and OEM certifications.
Career Progression
Maintenance Helper / Apprentice
0-3 yrs$36k-46k ($17-22/hr) + $500-2k annual tool allowance
- β’Ride-along with journeyman tech on service calls; learn equipment and diagnostic workflow
- β’Own routine PM tasks: lube, filter changes, belt tension, hardware inspection
- β’Charge time and parts against work orders in Maximo / Fiix / ServiceChannel accurately
- β’Complete OSHA 10 within 90 days; earn OSHA 30 by year 2
Next: Service Tech II at 2-4 years once you have OEM factory certification in one specialty.
Service Tech II / Facility Service Rep
3-6 yrs$48k-62k ($23-30/hr) + company van + tool allowance + $2-4k annual bonus
- β’Independent route/site accountability: 6-12 sites per day (mobile) or dedicated facility
- β’Diagnose and repair without supervision; escalate only complex or safety issues
- β’Own customer relationships at assigned sites; upsell parts/contract renewals
- β’Precept new helpers/apprentices; sign competency check-offs
Next: Sr Tech / Master Tech at 5-8 years once you have OEM factory certs across 2-3 brands.
Sr Tech / Master Tech / Lead / Playground Inspector
6-12 yrs$60k-78k salaried or $28-36/hr + $4-8k bonus + full company vehicle package
- β’Multi-brand / multi-specialty factory certifications: e.g., Life Fitness + Precor + Cybex for fitness; Overhead Door + Rytec + Cornell for industrial doors
- β’Own the toughest jobs β installations, warranty claims, escalated safety issues
- β’Train new hires and Service Tech IIs; own the region's training curriculum
- β’Chair or co-chair the site or region's safety committee
Next: Regional Manager / Chief Engineer / Field Service Supervisor at 10-15 years.
Field Service Supervisor / Chief Engineer / Regional Manager
10-18 yrs$72k-95k+ salaried + $8-15k bonus + full benefits + company vehicle
- β’Manage a team of 6-20 techs across a metro or region
- β’Own the P&L on a service contract or a portfolio of managed properties ($1-5M)
- β’Client-facing: quarterly business reviews, contract renewals, scope expansion
- β’Recruit and retain techs in a chronic-shortage labor market
Next: Regional Service Director, Operations Manager, or move to OEM factory-service management.
Interview Questions & Answers
5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.
Q1. Walk me through your diagnostic workflow on a treadmill that's showing error code E-05 and won't start.technical
Concrete flow on a Life Fitness or Precor unit. First, confirm power at the wall receptacle with a meter β 20A dedicated circuit, 110-120V. Second, cycle the power via the console reset per the manual. Third, pull the console cover and check the umbilical connections β E-05 on most Life Fitness units is a communication fault between the console and the lower PCA. Fourth, check the drive motor magnet and speed sensor β if the sensor is missing pulse, you'll get E-05 during startup. Fifth, if the sensor is intact, check the lower PCA for burn marks or blown MOVs. Sixth, if lower PCA is bad, order the replacement PCA (Life Fitness part number on the sticker), install, calibrate speed. Chart the diagnostic in the work order with time to repair and part number. Life Fitness and Precor both quiz on this exact scenario in their factory certification school.
Q2. You arrive at a hotel to service a playground and notice the safety surfacing is under-depth. What do you do?situational
First, do NOT let anyone use the playground while you're on-site β get the customer's rep to close it or put up signage. Second, run the GMax impact test at the highest fall zone with the NICSPI-approved impact test device β under NICSPI CPSI standards, GMax must be under 200 (ASTM F1292) with HIC under 1000. Third, measure surfacing depth at 4-6 points per fall zone; engineered wood fiber (EWF) needs 9-12 inches under high fall equipment. Fourth, document the failure in the inspection report with photos, GPS-tagged if the CMMS supports it. Fifth, deliver the report to the customer with a specific corrective action recommendation and a re-inspection date. If the playground has a documented compliance failure and the customer refuses to close it, escalate to your supervisor and the customer's risk/insurance rep β the liability exposure is on the customer, not you, once you've reported. Playground techs at NPSI-affiliated services and hospitality chains run this scenario in the field.
Q3. Describe your approach to LOTO (lockout/tagout) on a 3-phase industrial roll-up door.technical
Six-step LOTO per OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147. First, prep β review the door's electrical schematic (typically a 3-phase 208V or 480V motor + control panel). Second, notify the customer and any affected employees. Third, shut down the door normally, then de-energize at the disconnect (usually a fusible disconnect within sight of the door). Fourth, apply your personal lock and tag to the disconnect β one lock per authorized worker. Fifth, verify de-energization by attempting to run the door via the control (should not start) AND verify at the motor terminals with a meter (0V phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground). Sixth, do your work. On restoration, reverse: remove tools, clear people, remove locks, restore power, verify normal operation. If anyone else was working on the door with you, each person applies their own lock. Rytec, Overhead Door, and Cornell factory schools all quiz on LOTO explicitly.
Q4. You're 3 hours into a job and the customer wants to upsell you to fix a second piece of equipment that's not on the work order. What do you do?situational
Concrete steps. First, listen and understand what they want fixed β often it's a small thing you can quote in 5 minutes. Second, do NOT do free work off the work order β even 15 minutes of free labor kills the service contract's economics and sets a bad precedent. Third, quote the additional work: labor time, parts, and any diagnostic fee. Fourth, get written approval from the customer (email, signature on your tablet, or a phone approval logged in the CMMS) before you start. Fifth, add the scope to the work order with a separate line item so the billing is clean. Sixth, if the additional work would blow your schedule (you have 2 more sites today), politely explain and offer to return tomorrow β better to leave a paying customer happy for tomorrow than to miss two other customers today. Cintas, ABM, and JLL all coach this workflow.
Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer
Show the specialty fork. Fitness track: Life Fitness Field Service Tech β Master Tech β Regional Trainer at $75-95k. Playground/rec track: NICSPI CPSI β Sr Inspector β Regional Playground Safety Manager at $72-92k. Industrial door track: Overhead Door / Rytec Sr Tech β Master Tech β Field Service Supervisor at $80-105k. Elevator track: Otis Helper β Adjuster's Helper β Mechanic (union journeyman) at $95-125k+ with pension. Property management track: JLL/CBRE Facility Engineer 2 β Chief Engineer at $80-110k. Name one concrete next step (OEM factory school by year 2, second OEM cert by year 4, Chief Engineer or Master Tech title by year 6). Interviewers screen for people who've mapped the specialty ladder, not just 'grow'.
Resume Template β Maintenance Helper / Apprentice (0-3 yrs)
Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.
Maintenance Helper / Apprentice (0-3 yrs)
- βΈCintas Fire Protection Apprentice, Chicago metro; completed 18-month apprenticeship curriculum + NICET Level I certification.
- βΈRode-along on 240+ service calls; documented 95% first-time-fix rate on preventive maintenance tasks assigned solo.
- βΈOSHA 10 + OSHA 30 + clean MVR + BLS/CPR. High school diploma + 4-week Cintas factory school + 12 months of shadowing.
- βΈ$19.25/hr base ($40,040 annualized) + $1,500 tool allowance + $1,200 uniform stipend + company van fuel card.
What Gets You Rejected
- βCannot read a schematic or wiring diagram β instant disqualifier at any electrical or industrial door interview.
- βMVR (motor vehicle record) violations β DUI, reckless driving, or 3+ moving violations in 3 years takes you out at every mobile-service employer.
- βNo LOTO training or OSHA 10/30 β safety compliance is table stakes; you cannot go to a jobsite without it.
- βWeak customer service β techs who fight customers or don't get sign-off on work orders cost the employer contracts. Cintas, ABM, JLL, and CBRE screen for this explicitly.
- βCannot document work orders or charge parts and labor accurately in the CMMS β signals unreliable billing and shrinkage risk.
- βPoor van inventory hygiene β shrinkage is a firing offense at Cintas, Life Fitness, and Otis. Employers audit the van monthly.
Salary Negotiation Levers
- βOEM factory certification premium: Life Fitness, Precor, Cybex, Otis, Overhead Door, Rytec β each cert typically adds $2-4/hr in labor billing rate and $3-6k in negotiable base.
- βOn-call / after-hours pay: most mobile-service employers pay $150-300/week for on-call rotation + 1.5x or 2x on the call-out. Negotiate the schedule and the differential separately.
- βCompany vehicle + fuel card + tool allowance: worth $8-15k/yr in unreported comp. Negotiate the vehicle assignment (take-home vs. shared), fuel card scope (personal miles allowed?), and annual tool allowance ($500-2500).
- βSign-on bonus: chronic-shortage roles (elevator mechanic pipeline, industrial door tech, factory-certified fitness tech) pay $3-8k sign-on with 12-24 month commitment.
- βUnion differential: IUEC (elevator constructors), IBEW (electrical), UA (plumbers/pipefitters), Teamsters (garage door in some metros) β union wages are 20-40% over non-union with pension. Ask about union eligibility explicitly.
- βMetro premium: NYC, SF, Boston, DC, Chicago, LA β 20-35% over national median. Union metros compound this.
- βSpecialty premium: playground safety (NICSPI), commercial fitness master tech, wind turbine service assistant, and industrial door lead all command 15-25% over generalist maintenance.
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other Resume Review β $29
Personalized resume review from someone who has hired installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all others. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.
- β Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
- β Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
- β Missing skills / keywords flagged
- β Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
- β 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other Career Kit β $19
- β All 15 interview questions with expert answers
- β 8 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
- β Interview format intel for 10 top employers
- β 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
- β Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
- β 30β60β90 day plan for your first role
- β Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
- β Detailed salary negotiation script
- β Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
- β Downloadable PDF for offline access
- β Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
β 7-day money-back guarantee β no questions asked
One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.
Sample reviews β real customer reviews will appear here as they come in.
βThe interview question bank saved me. I got the exact question about 'walking through a DCF' at my Goldman Sachs superday, verbatim.β
β Anonymous, Financial Analyst
βCopy-paste negotiation emails are worth the price alone. I used the 'accepting with counter' template and got an extra $8k signing bonus.β
β Anonymous, Software Developer
βThe 30-60-90 day plan for a new grad RN was better than the orientation my hospital gave. Wish I'd bought this in nursing school.β
β Anonymous, Registered Nurse
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other Salary by State
Best Cities (cost-adjusted) βSalary Map β Click a state for details
$44K$75Kβ No data
Top Paying States
Alaska
$75K
+53%
Hawaii
$74K
+51%
Washington
$63K
+28%
Maine
$61K
+25%
Minnesota
$60K
+22%
Massachusetts
$60K
+22%
Rhode Island
$60K
+22%
District of Columbia
$59K
+20%
New York
$57K
+16%
Connecticut
$56K
+14%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
| State | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $75,360 | +53.1% |
| Hawaii | $74,260 | +50.8% |
| Washington | $63,080 | +28.1% |
| Maine | $61,380 | +24.7% |
| Minnesota | $60,250 | +22.4% |
| Massachusetts | $59,890 | +21.7% |
| Rhode Island | $59,890 | +21.7% |
| District of Columbia | $59,320 | +20.5% |
| New York | $56,900 | +15.6% |
| Connecticut | $56,110 | +14.0% |
Showing 1β10 of 51
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Median | vs. National |
|---|---|---|
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $80,390 | +63.3% |
| Anchorage, AK | $77,690 | +57.8% |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $77,560 | +57.5% |
| Manhattan, KS | $66,600 | +35.3% |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $66,550 | +35.2% |
| Hattiesburg, MS | $66,410 | +34.9% |
| Hinesville, GA | $66,350 | +34.8% |
| Lawton, OK | $65,790 | +33.6% |
| Guam | $64,650 | +31.3% |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $64,500 | +31.0% |
Showing 1β10 of 357
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other earning $49,230/year would need 1211 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 1300 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
See all sports & celebrity salaries βπ See how installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other salaries have changed over the past decade.
View Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other salary trend (2011β2024) β