Careers / Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers

Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$39,630

United States, 2025

Employment

95,580

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Help installation, maintenance, and repair workers in maintenance, parts replacement, and repair of vehicles, industrial machinery, and electrical and electronic equipment. Perform duties such as furnishing tools, materials, and supplies to other workers; cleaning work area, machines, and tools; and holding materials or tools for other workers.

O*NET code
49-9098.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

Typical tasks

  • Install or replace machinery, equipment, and new or replacement parts and instruments, using hand or power tools.
  • Examine and test machinery, equipment, components, and parts for defects to ensure proper functioning.
  • Tend and observe equipment and machinery to verify efficient and safe operation.
  • Adjust, connect, or disconnect wiring, piping, tubing, and other parts, using hand or power tools.
  • Clean or lubricate vehicles, machinery, equipment, instruments, tools, work areas, and other objects, using hand tools, power tools, and cleaning equipment.
  • Hold or supply tools, parts, equipment, and supplies for other workers.
  • Diagnose electrical problems and install and rewire electrical components.
  • Disassemble broken or defective equipment to facilitate repair and reassemble equipment when repairs are complete.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$29,310
10th
$34,910
25th
$39,630
Median
$46,890
75th
$55,890
90th

10th percentile

$29,310

25th percentile

$34,910

75th percentile

$46,890

90th percentile

$55,890

Most important skills

  • Repairing3.1
  • Critical Thinking3.1
  • Monitoring3.1
  • Active Listening3.1
  • Operations Monitoring3.1
  • Operation and Control3.1
  • Equipment Maintenance3.1
  • Troubleshooting3.1
  • Quality Control Analysis3.0
  • Coordination3.0
  • Speaking3.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.9

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 11 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

11

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Repairing3.13.3Not selected3.3
Equipment Maintenance3.13.3Not selected3.3
Troubleshooting3.13.1Not selected3.1
Operations Monitoring3.13.0Not selected3.0
Operation and Control3.13.0Not selected3.0
Quality Control Analysis3.03.0Not selected3.0
Coordination3.02.9Not selected2.9
Critical Thinking3.12.8Not selected2.8
Active Listening3.12.8Not selected2.8
Monitoring3.12.6Not selected2.6
Speaking3.02.4Not selected2.4

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Wheeling, WV$64,620402025
San Jose, CA$55,1004302025
DC$54,8601102025
Twin Falls, ID$51,490702025
Olympia, WA$51,000702025
Longview, WA$50,230302025
Madison, WI$50,1702302025
Napa, CA$50,150302025
Denver, CO$48,5806602025
Santa Cruz, CA$48,000502025
San Francisco, CA$47,4601,0102025
Santa Rosa, CA$47,350902025
Detroit, MI$47,0201,1502025
Chambersburg, PA$46,950402025
Waterbury, CT$46,8401502025
Muskegon, MI$46,820502025
Vallejo, CA$46,730902025
HI$46,3206602025
Kahului, HI$46,3201102025
Merced, CA$46,220602025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.