# Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/maintenance-and-repair-workers-general
- SOC code: 49-9071.00
- Career family: Installation and repair
- Median annual pay: $49,590 (10th percentile $35,350, 90th percentile $77,180)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +4.2%
- Openings a year: 148,700
- 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) | 25 |
| Artistic (A) | 3 |
| Social (S) | 13 |
| Enterprising (E) | 9 |
| Conventional (C) | 53 |

## What you'd do

- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 89/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 87/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 84/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 83/100)
- Getting Information (importance 81/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 79/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 79/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 79/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 77/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 77/100)

## Skills

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

## Knowledge

Mechanical, English Language, Building and Construction, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, Engineering and Technology, Education and Training, Design

## Also called

Apartment Maintenance Tech (Apartment Maintenance Technician), Apartment Maintenance Worker, Bench Repair Technician, Building Engineer, Building Maintenance Engineer, Building Maintenance Mechanic, Building Maintenance Repairer, Building Mechanic, Building Repairer, Building Services Mechanic

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

- [Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4604) (CIP 4604, 319 colleges)

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

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Utah Valley University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utah-valley-university-3103) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $82,443 | $97,793 | $11,042 |
| [The University of Texas at San Antonio](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-university-of-texas-at-san-antonio-2767) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $74,627 | $90,691 | $17,750 |
| [Tuskegee University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/tuskegee-university-2832) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $74,054 | $87,107 | not reported |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $69,819 | $74,310 | $27,000 |

## Related careers

- [Millwrights](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/millwrights): $65,700 median pay
- [Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/aircraft-structure-surfaces-rigging-and-systems-assemblers): $65,380 median pay
- [Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters): $63,800 median pay
- [Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/helpers-installation-maintenance-and-repair-workers): $39,630 median pay
- [Industrial Machinery Mechanics](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-machinery-mechanics): $64,520 median pay
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics-except-engines): $65,510 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.