Occupations · Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Home Appliance Repairers
Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 49-9031.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 65% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $61,710 | 2,250 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $58,310 | 1,240 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $47,990 | 1,010 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $51,460 | 870 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $46,660 | 710 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $47,710 | 690 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $48,970 | 670 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $50,700 | 560 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $51,890 | 530 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $46,590 | 500 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $64,800 | 460 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $60,380 | 450 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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.
- Conserve, recover, and recycle refrigerants used in cooling systems.
- 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.
- Respond to emergency calls for problems such as gas leaks.
- Service and repair domestic electrical or gas appliances, such as clothes washers, refrigerators, stoves, and dryers.
- Reassemble units after repairs are made, making adjustments and cleaning and lubricating parts as needed.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2018-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2018-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 3 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 2
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| household appliances repair technician | 7412.5 | exact |
| consumer electronics repair technician | 7421.3 | close |
| power tool repair technician | 7412.9 | close |
| kitchen unit installer | 7115.3 | close |
| office equipment repair technician | 7421.5 | close |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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