# Industrial Machinery Mechanics

> Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-machinery-mechanics
- SOC code: 49-9041.00
- Career family: Installation and repair
- Median annual pay: $64,520 (10th percentile $46,120, 90th percentile $95,170)
- Projected growth: Much faster than average, +17.8%
- Openings a year: 44,400
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 34 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 0 |
| Enterprising (E) | 3 |
| Conventional (C) | 56 |

## What you'd do

- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 80/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 78/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 78/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 77/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 75/100)
- Getting Information (importance 74/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 72/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 71/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 71/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 69/100)

## Skills

Equipment Maintenance, Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Repairing, Troubleshooting, Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving

## Knowledge

Mechanical, English Language, Production and Processing, Engineering and Technology, Design, Mathematics, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security, Physics

## Also called

Anode Rebuilder, Appliance Fixer, Appliance Mechanic, Area Mechanic, Assembly Mechanic, Auto Equipment Maintenance Servicer (Automotive Equipment Maintenance Servicer), Automatic Pinsetter Adjuster, Automotive Maintenance Equipment Servicer, Aviation Support Equipment Repairer, Bag Adjuster

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4703) (CIP 4703, 305 colleges)
- Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (CIP 4707, 17 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Dakota County Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dakota-county-technical-college-759) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $89,205 | not reported |
| [Bluegrass Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/bluegrass-community-and-technical-college-273) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $80,389 | $88,996 | $10,500 |
| [Owensboro Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/owensboro-community-and-technical-college-2048) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $50,307 | $85,274 | $5,000 |
| [Itawamba Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/itawamba-community-college-1312) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $68,459 | $78,139 | not reported |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $64,410 | $77,955 | $12,000 |
| [Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southcentral-kentucky-community-and-technical-college-2466) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $71,220 | $77,631 | $8,065 |
| [Elizabethtown Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/elizabethtown-community-and-technical-college-902) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $69,358 | $75,769 | $7,338 |
| [University of Arkansas at Monticello](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-arkansas-at-monticello-2870) | Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $75,310 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Maintenance Workers, Machinery](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/maintenance-workers-machinery): $60,850 median pay
- [Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electric-motor-power-tool-and-related-repairers): $56,210 median pay
- [Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/multiple-machine-tool-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic): $47,180 median pay
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics-except-engines): $65,510 median pay
- [Engine and Other Machine Assemblers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/engine-and-other-machine-assemblers): $53,710 median pay
- [Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/milling-and-planing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-metal-and-plastic): $52,800 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.