Installation, Maintenance & Repair
Home Appliance Repairers
Also called: Appliance Mechanic, Appliance Repair Mechanic, Appliance Repair Technician (Appliance Repair Tech), Appliance Service Technician
US median pay
$50,990
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+1.9%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
2,800
40,500 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.
What they do day to day
- Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
- Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
- Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
- Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
- Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
- Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.
- Provide repair cost estimates, and recommend whether appliance repair or replacement is a better choice.
- Disassemble appliances so that problems can be diagnosed and repairs can be made.
- Respond to emergency calls for problems such as gas leaks.
- Service and repair domestic electrical or gas appliances, such as clothes washers, refrigerators, stoves, and dryers.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Repairing3.9/5
- Troubleshooting3.6/5
- Equipment Maintenance3.6/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.5/5
- Operations Monitoring3.5/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Service Orientation3.0/5
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service4.1/5
- Mechanical4.0/5
- English Language3.4/5
- Administration and Management3.4/5
- Administrative3.4/5
- Computers and Electronics3.4/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- High school diploma69%
- Post-secondary certificate20%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.