How Much Does a Maintenance Mechanic Make? (2024)
Industrial · SOC Code 49-9071 · 4-year apprenticeship
The average maintenance mechanic earns $51,020 per year ($25/hour) as of 2024, according to BLS data. Yearly income ranges from $42,060 to $63,470 depending on city, with entry-level workers earning about $45,890 and top earners making $99,900+.
Most maintenance mechanics don't hit $100K — top-decile pay tops out at $99,900
The 90th-percentile maintenance mechanic in San Francisco, CA earns $99,900 per year ($48/hour). Workers who hit six figures in this trade are usually overtime-heavy industrial workers, foremen, or contractor-owners — those numbers sit outside what the BLS wage survey captures for typical W-2 employment.
National Salary Range
Maintenance Mechanic salaries range from $42,060 to $63,470 median across cities, depending on location, union membership, and experience level.
Maintenance Mechanic Salary by City
| City | Median | Range (10th-90th) | COL-Adjusted | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $63,470 | $45,890 – $99,900 | $33,405 | D | 15,870 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $59,970 | $39,150 – $79,100 | $56,575 | C | 17,750 |
| Seattle, WA | $59,590 | $44,190 – $83,850 | $39,993 | D | 17,370 |
| New York, NY | $58,900 | $37,820 – $85,950 | $31,497 | F | 109,550 |
| Boston, MA | $57,960 | $38,580 – $80,370 | $38,132 | D | 19,530 |
| Chicago, IL | $56,940 | $35,620 – $80,950 | $53,215 | C | 48,480 |
| Portland, OR | $56,810 | $40,660 – $81,260 | $43,700 | D | 10,060 |
| St. Louis, MO | $52,600 | $35,430 – $78,300 | $58,444 | C | 13,540 |
| Denver, CO | $52,510 | $39,950 – $76,820 | $41,023 | D | 11,060 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $52,290 | $38,020 – $79,660 | $31,500 | D | 41,080 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $52,130 | $34,760 – $76,600 | $54,302 | C | 8,150 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $50,610 | $35,220 – $76,990 | $44,009 | D | 23,190 |
| Columbus, OH | $50,440 | $35,050 – $75,380 | $54,237 | C | 10,780 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $50,280 | $34,320 – $78,800 | $48,346 | D | 11,020 |
| Charlotte, NC | $50,250 | $36,040 – $74,070 | $51,276 | D | 11,930 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $50,250 | $35,980 – $76,780 | $48,317 | D | 6,200 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $49,100 | $35,170 – $76,830 | $53,956 | C | 10,350 |
| Raleigh, NC | $48,890 | $35,350 – $71,430 | $48,890 | D | 6,400 |
| Kansas City, MO | $48,820 | $36,420 – $76,970 | $51,936 | D | 10,370 |
| Atlanta, GA | $48,730 | $34,880 – $74,230 | $45,972 | D | 24,990 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $48,430 | $35,630 – $76,650 | $47,019 | D | 26,330 |
| Detroit, MI | $48,290 | $35,220 – $70,430 | $54,258 | C | 16,240 |
| Nashville, TN | $48,260 | $35,750 – $68,740 | $46,854 | D | 10,820 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $47,930 | $31,200 – $74,170 | $52,098 | D | 10,980 |
| Dallas, TX | $46,790 | $33,550 – $74,490 | $45,873 | D | 39,830 |
| Houston, TX | $46,080 | $30,510 – $72,520 | $48,000 | D | 30,550 |
| Miami, FL | $45,150 | $34,260 – $66,780 | $37,008 | D | 33,170 |
| Tampa, FL | $44,870 | $30,750 – $65,660 | $44,426 | D | 15,400 |
| San Antonio, TX | $42,210 | $29,730 – $67,430 | $46,900 | D | 11,430 |
| New Orleans, LA | $42,060 | $28,810 – $70,950 | $44,274 | D | 5,260 |
About Maintenance Mechanic Pay
Maintenance Mechanics earn a national median salary of $51,020 based on 2024 BLS occupational wage data. The highest-paying city for this trade is San Francisco at $63,470 median, while New Orleans offers the lowest at $42,060.
Becoming a maintenance mechanic typically requires a 4-year apprenticeship program. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) can expect around $45,890, while master-level tradespeople (90th percentile) earn $99,900 or more. With 4% wage growth over the past 5 years, this trade is growing at a steady pace.
See how this compares to other trades on our highest paying trades ranking, or browse the best cities for trade workers.
Thinking about becoming a maintenance mechanic?
Step-by-step path: 4-year apprenticeship, certifications, state licensing, and apprentice-to-master pay timeline.
Related Industrial Trades
Frequently Asked Questions
The average maintenance mechanic salary is $51,020 per year ($25/hour) based on 2024 BLS OEWS data. Average yearly income ranges from $42,060 to $63,470 depending on city, experience, and union status.
Maintenance Mechanics earn an average hourly wage of $25/hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. Entry-level (10th percentile) hourly pay is about $22/hour, while top earners (90th percentile) make $48/hour or more.
San Francisco offers the highest median pay for maintenance mechanics at $63,470. However, cost of living matters, the COL-adjusted pay may tell a different story. Check our city-by-city breakdown above.
With a Trade Pay Score of C and 4% wage growth over 5 years, maintenance mechanic offers steady career prospects. There are approximately 627,680 jobs nationwide across 30 metro areas.
Becoming a maintenance mechanic typically requires a 4-year apprenticeship program combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Entry-level pay starts around $45,890 (10th percentile).
Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024. Trade Pay Scores are a composite of median wage vs. metro income, wage growth, job demand, and COL-adjusted pay.
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. skilled-trade wage data dataset. The detail above comes directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. trades, cities, and states.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. trades, cities, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.