Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 1,539,100 people employed as maintenance and repair workers, general in the United States. The median annual salary is $43,180. Entry level employees earn approximately $28,910 per year and senior employees earn approximately $62,400 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime pay, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment.
• Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery.
• Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures.
• Align and balance new equipment after installation.
• Record type and cost of maintenance or repair work.
• Maintain or repair specialized equipment or machinery located in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, or factories.
• Dismantle machines, equipment, or devices to access and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes, hand tools, or power tools.
• Plan and lay out repair work, using diagrams, drawings, blueprints, maintenance manuals, or schematic diagrams.
• Install equipment to improve the energy or operational efficiency of residential or commercial buildings.
• Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.
• Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.
• Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.
• Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures.
• Operate cutting torches or welding equipment to cut or join metal parts.
• Inspect used parts to determine changes in dimensional requirements, using rules, calipers, micrometers, or other measuring instruments.
• Assemble boilers at installation sites, using tools such as levels, plumb bobs, hammers, torches, or other hand tools.
• Lay brick to repair or maintain buildings, walls, arches, or other structures.
• Position, attach, or blow insulating materials to prevent energy losses from buildings, pipes, or other structures or objects.
• Grind and reseat valves, using valve-grinding machines.
• Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
• Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
• Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.
• Fabricate or repair counters, benches, partitions, or other wooden structures, such as sheds or outbuildings.
• Paint or repair roofs, windows, doors, floors, woodwork, plaster, drywall, or other parts of building structures.
• Perform routine maintenance on boilers, such as replacing burners or hoses, installing replacement parts, or reinforcing structural weaknesses to ensure optimal boiler efficiency.
• Test and treat water supply.
• Provide groundskeeping services, such as landscaping or snow removal.
• Set up and operate machine tools to repair or fabricate machine parts, jigs, fixtures, or tools.
• Perform general cleaning of buildings or properties.
• Train or manage maintenance personnel or subcontractors.

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