Installation, Maintenance & Repair
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
Also called: Building Mechanic, Equipment Engineering Technician, Facilities Technician, Maintenance Engineer
US median pay
$49,590
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+4.2%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
148,700
1,621,800 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
Perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair. Duties may involve pipe fitting; HVAC maintenance; insulating; welding; machining; carpentry; repairing electrical or mechanical equipment; installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment; and repairing buildings, floors, or stairs.
What they do day to day
- Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
- 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 measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.
- Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.
- Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.
- Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures.
- Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment.
- Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery.
- Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Repairing3.9/5
- Equipment Maintenance3.9/5
- Troubleshooting3.8/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.1/5
- Operations Monitoring3.1/5
- Operation and Control3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
Knowledge
- Mechanical4.0/5
- English Language3.7/5
- Building and Construction3.7/5
- Mathematics3.4/5
- Production and Processing3.1/5
- Customer and Personal Service2.9/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Post-secondary certificate63%
- High school diploma25%
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.