Installation, Maintenance & Repair
Millwrights
Also called: Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Millwright, Millwright, Millwright Business Representative (Millwright Business Rep)
US median pay
$65,700
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+0.9%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
3,200
40,700 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.
What they do day to day
- Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
- Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs.
- Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts.
- Signal crane operator to lower basic assembly units to bedplate, and align unit to centerline.
- Conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment.
- Assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
- Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools.
- Move machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks.
- Level bedplate and establish centerline, using straightedge, levels, and transit.
- Dismantle machines, using hammers, wrenches, crowbars, and other hand tools.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Troubleshooting3.8/5
- Installation3.8/5
- Equipment Maintenance3.8/5
- Repairing3.6/5
- Operations Monitoring3.6/5
- Operation and Control3.4/5
- Time Management3.2/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.2/5
Knowledge
- Mechanical4.8/5
- Mathematics4.4/5
- Building and Construction4.2/5
- Education and Training3.8/5
- Engineering and Technology3.5/5
- Public Safety and Security3.5/5
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 diploma45%
- Post-secondary certificate36%
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.