Installation, maintenance and repair
Home appliance repairer
Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.
Median pay
$50,990
Growth to 2035
+2%
little or no change
Openings a year
2,800
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Home appliance repairer
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
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
Home appliance repairer: 32% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
- Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
- Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
- Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
- Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
- Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.
- Provide repair cost estimates, and recommend whether appliance repair or replacement is a better choice.
- Disassemble appliances so that problems can be diagnosed and repairs can be made.
Also called: Appliance Mechanic · Appliance Repair Mechanic · Appliance Repair Technician (Appliance Repair Tech) · Appliance Service Technician · Appliance Technician (Appliance Tech) · Repair Man · Repair Technician · Service Technician (Service Tech)
Outlook and AI
Home appliance repairers held 40,500 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 41,300 by 2035 (+2%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
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