Life As an Elevator Installer or Repairer
Job Description: Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.
What Do Elevator Installers and Repairers Do On a Daily Basis?
- Adjust safety controls, counterweights, door mechanisms, and components such as valves, ratchets, seals, and brake linings.
- Assemble elevator cars, installing each car’s platform, walls, and doors.
- Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.
- Test newly installed equipment to ensure that it meets specifications, such as stopping at floors for set amounts of time.
- Assemble electrically powered stairs, steel frameworks, and tracks, and install associated motors and electrical wiring.
- Bolt or weld steel rails to the walls of shafts to guide elevators, working from scaffolding or platforms.
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Things an Elevator Installer or Repairer Should Know How to Do
Below is a list of the skills most Elevator Installers and Repairers say are important on the job.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Equipment Selection: Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Types of Elevator Installer or Repairer Jobs
- Elevator Repairer Apprentice
- Elevator Examiner and Adjuster
- Elevator Worker
- Escalator Installer
- Freight Elevator Erector
Elevator Installer or Repairer Job Outlook
In the United States, there were 22,100 jobs for Elevator Installer or Repairer in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.2% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 2,700 new jobs for Elevator Installer or Repairer by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 3,000 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Elevator Installer or Repairer are Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Oregon, Nebraska, or Idaho. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for an Elevator Installer or Repairer
The salary for Elevator Installers and Repairers ranges between about $40,850 and $121,200 a year.

Elevator Installers and Repairers who work in Nevada, Washington, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
How much do Elevator Installers and Repairers make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $68,030 |
Arizona | $74,700 |
Arkansas | $57,040 |
California | $87,820 |
Colorado | $78,140 |
Connecticut | $90,960 |
Delaware | $76,470 |
District of Columbia | $80,690 |
Florida | $60,230 |
Georgia | $56,840 |
Hawaii | $86,620 |
Idaho | $75,640 |
Illinois | $93,190 |
Indiana | $78,740 |
Iowa | $77,570 |
Kansas | $82,460 |
Kentucky | $59,780 |
Maine | $69,750 |
Maryland | $82,990 |
Massachusetts | $103,570 |
Michigan | $82,860 |
Minnesota | $87,770 |
Missouri | $70,400 |
Montana | $83,500 |
Nevada | $129,890 |
New Jersey | $72,980 |
New Mexico | $73,170 |
New York | $83,110 |
North Carolina | $63,700 |
Ohio | $73,930 |
Oklahoma | $80,410 |
Oregon | $97,310 |
Pennsylvania | $83,050 |
Rhode Island | $65,860 |
South Carolina | $65,030 |
Tennessee | $71,290 |
Texas | $71,510 |
Utah | $69,720 |
Virginia | $65,300 |
Washington | $107,350 |
West Virginia | $69,350 |
Wisconsin | $63,610 |
What Tools & Technology do Elevator Installers and Repairers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Elevator Installers and Repairers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Outlook
- Scheduling software
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
Becoming an Elevator Installer or Repairer
Learn what Elevator Installer or Repairer education requirements there are.

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Elevator Installers and Repairers?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those interested in being an Elevator Installer or Repairer may also be interested in:
- Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
Are you already one of the many Elevator Installer or Repairer in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
- Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
- Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
References:
Image Credit: Margo Wright via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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