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Employment and wages of elevator installers and repairers

Domingo Angeles | July 2018

Skyscrapers, increased accessibility, effortless movement between floors—the elevator has made each of these possible. Whether carrying people or freight, elevators have also created job opportunities for the workers who install and repair them.

Elevator installers and repairers assemble, install, and maintain elevators, escalators, and other transportation equipment in buildings. But the occupation employs relatively few workers: about 24,490 overall in 2017. The chart shows the employment and wages of elevator installers and repairers in the 10 states with the highest employment concentrations of the occupation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The larger the bubble, the greater the share of elevator installers and repairers employed in that state. For each state, the bubble’s horizontal placement shows the occupation’s employment, and vertical placement indicates its median annual wage. For example, Maryland had the highest concentration of elevator installers and repairers in the nation in 2017, even as New York employed the most (4,510). Massachusetts paid the highest median annual wage ($92,360) of the states shown.

According to BLS, employment of elevator installers and repairers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the 7-percent average expected for all occupations. And the median annual wage in 2017 was $79,480, more than double the $37,690 median wage for all occupations.

Elevator installers and repairers typically need a high school diploma. But on-the-job training, primarily in the form of apprenticeships, is key to entering the occupation. You’ll find more information about elevator installers and repairers and hundreds of other occupations in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.