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Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipHigh pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair. Duties may involve pipe fitting; HVAC maintenance; insulating; welding; machining; carpentry; repairing electrical or mechanical equipment; installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment; and repairing buildings, floors, or stairs.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $49,590 Median per year · $23.84/hr Most earn $35,350–$77,180

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Maintain or repair specialized equipment or machinery located in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, or factories.
  • Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment.
  • Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures.
  • Inspect used parts to determine changes in dimensional requirements, using rules, calipers, micrometers, or other measuring instruments.
  • Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
  • Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Numerous Job Openings

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 148,700 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Real estate19.7%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals9.4%
  • Elementary and secondary schools4.7%
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools2.2%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

General maintenance and repair work is usually not a job you start straight out of school. Most people first spend about 2 to 4 years in related work or training, such as helping on maintenance crews or finishing a trade certificate or apprenticeship, before taking this role.

  1. High school diploma or GED

    4 years

    Build a base in math, shop, and science, which you will use for reading blueprints, measuring, and understanding how equipment works.

  2. Maintenance Helper

    1-2 years

    Assist experienced technicians with installing, cleaning, moving, and repairing equipment and buildings, while learning tools and safety rules on the job.

  3. Trade certificate or apprenticeship in a maintenance craft

    1-2 years

    Study a trade such as electrical, HVAC, plumbing, or welding through a certificate program or paid apprenticeship, so you can handle work across several crafts.

  4. General Maintenance and Repair Worker

    Ongoing, after about 2-4 years of related work

    Keep machines, equipment, and buildings in working order by combining skills from several trades, such as pipe fitting, electrical repair, carpentry, and equipment alignment.

Where it can lead

  1. Industrial Machinery Mechanic

    2-4 years of experience first

    You focus more deeply on factory and production equipment, learning to diagnose complex machines and keep production running, often through added training or certification.

  2. Maintenance Supervisor

    Several years in maintenance work of experience first

    You shift from doing the repairs to planning schedules, assigning crews, ordering parts, and making sure work meets safety rules, which takes strong communication and leadership skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop, drafting, or technical classesHands-on work with tools and reading plans builds skills that every maintenance trade uses.
  • Take algebra and basic physicsMeasuring, calculating loads and angles, and understanding how machines work all rely on these subjects.
  • Get a part-time job or summer job at a hardware store, farm, or property-maintenance companyWorking around tools, equipment, and customers shows employers you are dependable and teaches you the basics early.
  • Join a career and technical student organization, such as SkillsUSA, if your school has oneThese groups often include hands-on skill competitions and industry contact that can help you learn about trades.
  • Help with repairs at home or volunteer at a community center or school facilities crewSimple fixes like patching drywall or replacing a faucet give you real practice in several crafts.

In college

  • Enroll in a trade certificate or apprenticeship-related programPrograms in electrical, HVAC, plumbing, or industrial maintenance give you the training that this career typically requires.
  • Take courses in electrical basics, welding, and blueprint readingLearning several crafts is what makes general maintenance workers valuable, since they handle work across more than one trade.
  • Seek a maintenance helper or facilities job, even part-timePaid hands-on experience counts toward the 2 to 4 years of related work most people need before this role.
  • Earn safety certifications, such as OSHA 10-hour trainingSafety credentials are a practical way to show employers you understand workplace hazards.
  • Join a student trade or engineering club or technical societyThese groups offer hands-on projects and networking with people already working in maintenance and skilled trades.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a local maintenance, HVAC, or facilities team if you can shadow them or help on a job; hands-on exposure is one of the best ways to see if this work suits you.
  • Learn basic safety rules and get comfortable with hand and power tools early, since employers value people who are careful and reliable.
  • Look at job postings and apprenticeship listings in your area to see which trades are most often requested, then choose classes or training that match them. For pay information, check the career page on the app, which shows typical pay near you and nationally.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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