Home Appliance Repairers
US occupation · SOC 49-9031
Job titles people report: Appliance Mechanic, Appliance Repair Mechanic, Appliance Repair Technician (Appliance Repair Tech), Appliance Service Technician, Appliance Technician (Appliance Tech), Repair Man, Repair Technician, Service Technician (Service Tech), Vacuum Repairer
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $50,990
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $43,780 – $63,390
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 32,150
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +1.9%
- Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 2,800
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.
Main tasks
- Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
- Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
- Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
- Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
- Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
- Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.
- Provide repair cost estimates, and recommend whether appliance repair or replacement is a better choice.
- Disassemble appliances so that problems can be diagnosed and repairs can be made.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 1–2
- Little to some preparation
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Appliance Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
$61,010 median · +10.9% projected
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
$56,210 median · +4.4% projected
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
$64,520 median · +17.8% projected
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
$74,340 median · +4.3% projected
- Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics
$47,880 median · +2.3% projected
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment
$84,890 median · +5.4% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk