CareerFacts

All careers › Home Appliance Repairers

Appliance technician: pay, job outlook and how to become one

Updated October 28, 2026. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET data. Published by Humblebee.

$50,990median pay per year, or $24.51 an hour, May 2025[1]
  1. $36,190lowest 10% earn less
  2. $43,78025th percentile
  3. $50,990median
  4. $63,39075th percentile
  5. $80,660top 10% earn more
Middle half of workers in the inner band[3]Median for all US jobs, $50,980[4]

Home appliance repairers, the official category for an appliance technician, had a median wage of $50,990 a year in May 2025[1]. Jobs are projected to grow 1.9% from 2025 to 2035[2].

Job growth, 2025–35
+1.9%[2]
Openings per year
2,800[5]
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent[6]

How much do appliance technicians make?

The median wage for Home Appliance Repairers was $50,990 a year, or $24.51 an hour[1]. Half of workers earned more and half earned less[1]. The mean (average) was $56,040 a year, or $26.94 an hour[7].

For comparison, the median for all occupations in the US was $50,980[4]. So the typical appliance technician earned about the same as the typical US worker.

The range is wide. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36,190 a year, and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $80,660[3]. BLS explains that a percentile is a boundary, and it does not publish a starting salary[8].

Annual wage point Amount
10th percentile[3] $36,190
25th percentile[3] $43,780
Median[1] $50,990
75th percentile[3] $63,390
90th percentile[3] $80,660

Per hour, the same points run from $17.40 to $38.78[9]. These figures cover wage and salary workers only. They leave out the self-employed and do not include benefits or some bonuses[10]. That matters here, because 20.3% of home appliance repairers were self-employed in 2025[11].

Pay by state and city

Massachusetts had the highest state median at $70,750, followed by New York at $65,190 and Alaska at $63,950[12]. At the other end, West Virginia ($35,720) and Mississippi ($35,890) had the lowest medians[12].

Florida had the most jobs (3,000), followed by California (2,760), Texas (2,200), New York (2,110) and Illinois (1,730)[13].

Among metro areas with at least 100 jobs, the highest medians were in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk ($81,000), Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford ($74,360) and Boston-Cambridge-Newton ($69,610)[14]. The New York-Newark-Jersey City area had the most jobs, at 2,560[15].

Show median pay in 50 states
StateMedian per yearJobs
Massachusetts[12]$70,750550
New York$65,1902,110
Alaska$63,950100
Connecticut$62,380380
Minnesota$61,360540
Virginia$59,820870
Vermont$58,75060
California$58,4802,760
Hawaii$58,300240
Washington$58,110800
Maryland$57,860570
Florida$57,2803,000
Illinois$56,8601,730
New Jersey$55,4501,200
New Hampshire$53,640200
Delaware$53,39060
Wisconsin$52,440520
Colorado$52,220550
Michigan$52,1601,050
Pennsylvania$51,9901,010
Oregon$51,160680
Alabama$50,190280
Rhode Island$50,17060
Kentucky$49,710200
Tennessee$49,580690
Georgia$49,500670
Utah$49,350360
Louisiana$49,240310
North Dakota$48,72050
Texas$48,6302,200
Missouri$48,530890
Nevada$48,070n/a
Arizona$47,800990
South Carolina$47,460380
South Dakota$47,340100
Ohio$47,300730
North Carolina$47,270960
Montana$47,130130
Indiana$47,0801,030
Maine$46,500160
Idaho$45,650260
Nebraska$45,620260
Iowa$44,090210
Wyoming$43,630170
Oklahoma$40,210280
Kansas$38,840310
Arkansas$38,680230
New Mexico$37,440150
Mississippi$35,890220
West Virginia$35,72080

How to become an appliance technician

BLS describes the typical path like this[6]:

ONET gives a similar picture. In an ONET survey of 19 workers, 69% said a high school diploma or equivalent was required, and 20% said a post-secondary certificate[16]. This is a small survey, so treat it as a rough guide.

O*NET also places the job in a group where some roles need little or no experience and others need several months to a year[17].

What appliance technicians do

O*NET describes the work as repairing, adjusting or installing household appliances that run on electricity or gas, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers and ovens[18]. Common tasks include[19]:

Workers report job titles such as appliance repair technician and appliance service technician[20].

Job outlook

BLS projects employment of home appliance repairers to grow 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, from about 40,500 to 41,300 jobs[2]. Employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5%[21]. So growth is slower than average.

Still, about 2,800 openings a year are projected on average[5]. Openings include jobs left by people who retire or switch occupations, not only new jobs[5]. Each year, about 3% of workers leave the labor force and 3.6% move to a different occupation[22].

The job count of 32,150 in the wage data and the 40,500 in the projections measure different things[23][2]. The wage count covers wage and salary jobs only, and the projection count includes the self-employed[23][2].

Is it a good fit?

The facts suggest a job with a low barrier to entry: a high school diploma, no prior experience and on-the-job training[6]. Pay at the median is close to the all-occupations median[1][4], with room to earn more at the upper end, where the top 10% earned more than $80,660[3]. Pay also varies by state[12]. Job growth is slow, though openings still come up each year[2][5]. The facts here do not say how long training lasts or what schedules look like.

Related occupations from O*NET, with BLS median pay and projected growth[24].

Frequently asked questions

How much does an appliance technician make an hour?
The median wage for Home Appliance Repairers was $24.51 an hour in May 2025[1]. The middle half of workers earned between $21.05 and $30.47 an hour[9].
What education do you need to be an appliance technician?
BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry education, with no related work experience and moderate-term on-the-job training[6].
Is appliance repair in demand?
Employment is projected to grow 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all occupations[2][21]. About 2,800 openings a year are projected[5].
What is the highest paying state for appliance technicians?
Massachusetts had the highest median annual wage at $70,750 in May 2025, followed by New York and Alaska[12].

Facts and sources

  1. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median wage for Home Appliance Repairers in the US was $50,990 per year and $24.51 per hour. Half of workers earned more and half earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  2. BLS Employment Projections: employment of Home Appliance Repairers is projected to grow 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, from about 40,500 to 41,300 jobs (a change of +800). These counts include self-employed workers. BLS Employment Projections
  3. BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual wage percentiles for Home Appliance Repairers: 10th percentile $36,190, 25th percentile $43,780, 75th percentile $63,390, 90th percentile $80,660. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  4. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median annual wage for all occupations in the US was $50,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  5. BLS Employment Projections: about 2,800 openings for Home Appliance Repairers are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035. Openings include jobs that open when workers retire or move to other occupations, not only new jobs. BLS Employment Projections
  6. BLS Employment Projections, typical path into Home Appliance Repairers: education needed for entry: High school diploma or equivalent; work experience in a related occupation: None; typical on-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. BLS Employment Projections
  7. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the mean (average) wage for Home Appliance Repairers was $56,040 per year and $26.94 per hour. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  8. BLS OEWS FAQ: a percentile wage is a boundary. The median (50th percentile) separates the highest-paid 50% from the lowest-paid 50% of workers in the occupation. OEWS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  9. BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wage percentiles for Home Appliance Repairers: 10th percentile $17.40, 25th percentile $21.05, 75th percentile $30.47, 90th percentile $38.78. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  10. BLS OEWS FAQ: OEWS covers part-time and full-time workers paid a wage or salary. It does not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers or unpaid family workers. OEWS wages do not include nonproduction bonuses or employer costs of benefits such as health insurance or retirement contributions. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  11. BLS Employment Projections: 20.3% of Home Appliance Repairers were self-employed in 2025. BLS Employment Projections
  12. Median annual wage for Home Appliance Repairers in every state with published data, May 2025 (table on this page). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  13. BLS OEWS, May 2025, states with the most Home Appliance Repairers jobs: Florida 3,000; California 2,760; Texas 2,200; New York 2,110; Illinois 1,730. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  14. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the highest median annual wage for Home Appliance Repairers (areas with at least 100 jobs): Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC $81,000; Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT $74,360; Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $69,610; New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $65,190; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $64,220; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $63,840; San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX $62,400; Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT $62,370. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  15. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the most Home Appliance Repairers jobs: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 2,560 (median $65,190); Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN 1,430 (median $59,750); Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 960 (median $61,150); Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 880 (median $57,030); Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 870 (median $49,350); Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 740 (median $47,990). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  16. O*NET 49-9031.00 survey of workers (19 respondents), education level they say is required: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) 69%, Post-Secondary Certificate 20%, Less than a High School Diploma 8% (levels under 5% not listed). O*NET OnLine
  17. O*NET 49-9031.00: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. O*NET OnLine
  18. O*NET description of Home Appliance Repairers. O*NET OnLine
  19. O*NET task list for Home Appliance Repairers. O*NET OnLine
  20. O*NET 49-9031.00 sample job titles reported by workers: 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). O*NET OnLine
  21. BLS Employment Projections: employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035. BLS Employment Projections
  22. BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 annual average for Home Appliance Repairers: 3% of workers leave the labor force each year and 3.6% move to a different occupation. BLS Employment Projections
  23. BLS OEWS, May 2025: about 32,150 people were employed as Home Appliance Repairers in the US (wage and salary jobs, not counting self-employed workers). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  24. Related occupations (O*NET) with BLS pay, growth and entry education. O*NET OnLine

Notes are for reading the data only. They are not facts and cannot be cited: use the wage_scope and percentile_meaning facts instead. OEWS employment (jobs in May 2025) and Employment Projections employment (2025, includes self-employed) are different measures and can differ. O*NET education shares come from a small survey of workers in the occupation, not from all workers.

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. CareerFacts has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.