Maintenance Worker: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of maintenance workers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $42,000
- Hourly
- $20.19
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of maintenance workers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $48,920
- Hourly
- $23.52
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of maintenance workers earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $60,850
- Hourly
- $29.25
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of maintenance workers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $75,200
- Hourly
- $36.16
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of maintenance workers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $88,550
- Hourly
- $42.57
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Maintenance Workers lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance. The median pay is $60,850 a year ($29.25 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a post-secondary certificate (54% of workers surveyed by O*NET).
- Median pay
- $60,850
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 60,020
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- medium preparation
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate
- 54% of workers
Data Government data groups this job as Maintenance Workers, Machinery (O*NET-SOC 49-9043.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
Maintenance Workers at a glance
Workers in the BLS occupation “Maintenance Workers, Machinery” in the United States earned a median annual wage of $60,850 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for workers in the BLS occupation “Maintenance Workers, Machinery” in the United States.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS projects employment of workers in the BLS occupation “Maintenance Workers, Machinery” in the United States to decline 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,400 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS estimates that less than 0.5% of maintenance workers, machinery in the United States had the ability to telework in 2025, a preliminary estimate of whether the job allows it, not a count of remote jobs.
Source: BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 preliminary
Every page for Maintenance Workers
What maintenance workers do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair, using hand tools, chain falls, jacks, cranes, or hoists.
- Reassemble machines after the completion of repair or maintenance work.
- Record production, repair, and machine maintenance information.
- Lubricate or apply adhesives or other materials to machines, machine parts, or other equipment according to specified procedures.
- Install, replace, or change machine parts and attachments, according to production specifications.
- Set up and operate machines, and adjust controls to regulate operations.
- Collaborate with other workers to repair or move machines, machine parts, or equipment.
- Read work orders and specifications to determine machines and equipment requiring repair or maintenance.
What the job requires
Data BLS figures for maintenance workers, machinery (SOC 49-9043), 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey.
- Telework available
- less than 0.5%
- of workers had the ability to telework
- Workday sitting
- 15.1%
- mean share of the day required to sit
- Most common strength level
- Medium
- 72.9% of workers
- Can pause work
- 47.7%
- of workers could take short, unscheduled breaks
- Self-paced workload
- less than 10%
- of workers set their own workload
- Employer-changed schedules
- 55.7%
- of workers had schedules changed by the employer week to week
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey. Estimates are preliminary; ranges are shown as published.
Industries that employ it
Data Share of all maintenance worker jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).
- Food manufacturing8.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +0.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $60,320
- Transportation equipment manufacturing5.5% of all jobs in this occupation · -7.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $63,470
- Merchant wholesalers, durable goods5.2% of all jobs in this occupation · -1.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $60,010
- Fabricated metal product manufacturing4.6% of all jobs in this occupation · -5.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $60,970
- Chemical manufacturing4.3% of all jobs in this occupation · -1.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $72,100
- Plastics and rubber products manufacturing4.3% of all jobs in this occupation · -1.2% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $62,330
Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: Mechanical, Production and Processing, Administration and Management, English Language, Design.
Software maintenance workers use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Computerized maintenance management system software CMMSFacilities management software
- Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
- Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
- Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
- Microsoft PowerPointPresentation softwareHot technology
- Microsoft WordWord processing softwareHot technology
- SAP softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP softwareHot technology
- Database softwareData base user interface and query software
- Management information systems MISEnterprise resource planning ERP software
- Scheduling softwareCalendar and scheduling software
- Web browser softwareInternet browser software
Also called: Lubricator, Machine Repairer, Maintainer, Maintenance Craftsman, Maintenance Man, Maintenance Mechanic.
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How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
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