Construction and extraction
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.
Median pay
$109,910
Growth to 2035
+6%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
1,900
Time to qualify*
4 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Apprenticeship
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to elevator and escalator installers and repairers
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers: 74% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly.
- Assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and dumbwaiters, using hand and power tools, and testing devices such as test lamps, ammeters, and voltmeters.
- Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.
- Check that safety regulations and building codes are met, and complete service reports verifying conformance to standards.
- Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment.
- Adjust safety controls, counterweights, door mechanisms, and components such as valves, ratchets, seals, and brake linings.
- Read and interpret blueprints to determine the layout of system components, frameworks, and foundations, and to select installation equipment.
- Connect car frames to counterweights, using steel cables.
Also called: Elevator Adjuster · Elevator Constructor · Elevator Installer · Elevator Mechanic · Elevator Repair and Maintenance Technician (Elevator Repair and Maintenance Tech) · Elevator Service Mechanic · Elevator Service Technician (Elevator Service Tech) · Elevator Serviceman
Outlook and AI
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers held 24,700 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 26,100 by 2035 (+6%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
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