Elevator mechanic career
BLS occupation: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (47-4021). Updated September 27, 2026.
Pay
Elevator mechanics in the U.S. earn a median of $109,910 a year, or $52.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data.
What elevator mechanics do
- 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.
The most important tasks, as rated by workers in the occupation. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Job outlook
BLS projects elevator mechanic jobs will grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% for all U.S. jobs, with about 1,900 openings a year as people join, retire, and change careers.
- Jobs in 2025
- 24,700
- Projected for 2035
- 26,100
- Openings a year
- 1,900
- Self-employed
- not published
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035. Job counts include self-employed workers.
Training
- Typical education to start
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Experience in a related job
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Apprenticeship
Source: BLS Employment Projections. Licensing rules vary by state; confirm with your state's licensing board.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
- San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa ClaraCA$173,920
- San Francisco–Oakland–FremontCA$168,270
- Chicago–Naperville–ElginIL-IN$146,580
- Las Vegas–Henderson–North Las VegasNV$141,920
- Los Angeles–Long Beach–AnaheimCA$140,600
- San Diego–Chula Vista–CarlsbadCA$140,250
- Seattle–Tacoma–BellevueWA$138,880
- Portland–Vancouver–HillsboroOR-WA$138,600
- Spokane–Spokane ValleyWA$138,100
- New York–Newark–Jersey CityNY-NJ$136,000
Other trades
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Excludes self-employed elevator mechanics.