SOC 49-9098.00Bright outlook

    Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers

    Help installation, maintenance, and repair workers in maintenance, parts replacement, and repair of vehicles, industrial machinery, and electrical and electronic equipment.

    Median pay
    $39,630
    Growth
    +5.3%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    13,600
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $29,310
    Median
    $39,630
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $55,890
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    95,580 people work in this occupation.

    What helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Help installation, maintenance, and repair workers in maintenance, parts replacement, and repair of vehicles, industrial machinery, and electrical and electronic equipment. Perform duties such as furnishing tools, materials, and supplies to other workers; cleaning work area, machines, and tools; and holding materials or tools for other workers.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    16 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    2 / 100
    Social (S)
    14 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    10 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    51 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    87
    Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
    80
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    79
    Performing General Physical Activities
    77
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    72
    Getting Information
    72
    Handling and Moving Objects
    69
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    67
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    66
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    66
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Equipment Maintenance
    • Monitoring
    • Operation and Control
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Repairing
    • Troubleshooting
    • Coordination
    • Quality Control Analysis

    Knowledge

    • Mechanical
    • Building and Construction
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Public Safety and Security
    • English Language
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Mathematics
    • Design
    • Production and Processing
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Manual Dexterity
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Control Precision
    • Near Vision
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Extent Flexibility
    • Information Ordering
    • Oral Comprehension

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Adaptability
    • Self-Control
    • Humility

    Also called

    Air Conditioner Installer Helper (AC Installer Helper) · Air Conditioner Installer Servicer Helper (AC Installer Servicer Helper) · Airframe and Power Plant Mechanic Helper · Armature Winder Repair Helper · Automobile Body Repairer Helper · Automobile Mechanic Helper · Automotive Electrical Helper · Blacksmith Assistant · Blacksmith Helper · Cable Splicer Helper

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

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    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.