Maintenance Workers, Machinery
US occupation · SOC 49-9043
Job titles people report: Lubricator, Machine Repairer, Maintainer, Maintenance Craftsman, Maintenance Man, Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Technician (Maintenance Tech), Maintenance Worker, Oiler, Overhauler
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $60,850
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $48,920 – $75,200
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 60,020
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- -1.9%
- Shrinking (below 0%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 4,400
- 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
Lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance.
Main tasks
- 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.
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: long-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 3
- Medium preparation
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
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
- Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
$64,520 median · +17.8% projected
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
$46,550 median · -10.8% projected
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
$56,210 median · +4.4% projected
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
$47,180 median · +0.6% projected
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
$65,510 median · +6.7% projected
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
$50,060 median · -6.8% 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