Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
Also called: Elevator Mechanic, Elevator Service Mechanic, Elevator Service Technician (Elevator Service Tech), Elevator Technician (Elevator Tech)Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 20 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 5.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 92% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $103,700 | $96,290 to $105,440 | 170 |
| Arkansas | $61,530 | $56,140 to $106,000 | 60 |
| California | $141,180 | $120,900 to $161,230 | 1,910 |
| Colorado | $123,360 | $74,150 to $125,950 | 530 |
| District of Columbia | $122,570 | $81,030 to $122,570 | not published |
| Florida | $104,730 | $71,100 to $114,180 | 2,790 |
| Georgia | $83,500 | $56,750 to $107,990 | 640 |
| Illinois | $133,690 | $94,850 to $160,450 | 1,080 |
| Indiana | $92,390 | $63,490 to $122,330 | 120 |
| Iowa | $115,300 | $86,850 to $118,300 | 90 |
| Kansas | $84,760 | $57,510 to $138,860 | 70 |
| Kentucky | $42,670 | $41,130 to $61,420 | not published |
| Maine | $143,690 | $85,050 to $154,260 | 110 |
| Maryland | $122,260 | $96,120 to $123,710 | 810 |
| Massachusetts | $138,420 | $83,020 to $153,760 | not published |
| Michigan | $99,140 | $60,760 to $139,690 | 560 |
| Minnesota | $128,020 | $102,320 to $131,040 | 550 |
| Mississippi | not published | not published | 80 |
| Missouri | $126,750 | $124,120 to $134,820 | 450 |
| Montana | $90,370 | $61,150 to $98,360 | 40 |
| Nebraska | $117,690 | $75,650 to $122,410 | 140 |
| Nevada | $141,950 | $126,270 to $165,790 | 510 |
| New Jersey | $137,920 | $125,040 to $167,130 | 800 |
| New Mexico | $71,430 | $59,800 to $100,800 | 110 |
| New York | $135,720 | $108,940 to $153,220 | 3,470 |
| North Carolina | $107,700 | $48,330 to $122,770 | 240 |
| Ohio | $105,020 | $72,950 to $116,870 | 690 |
| Oklahoma | $105,430 | $57,330 to $120,710 | 140 |
| Oregon | $138,600 | $98,670 to $146,790 | 230 |
| Pennsylvania | $117,250 | $77,700 to $125,750 | 900 |
| Puerto Rico | $38,190 | $37,700 to $45,030 | 130 |
| South Carolina | $90,860 | $75,810 to $106,950 | 540 |
| South Dakota | $116,320 | $99,050 to $119,240 | not published |
| Tennessee | $100,490 | $77,080 to $106,940 | 700 |
| Texas | $102,140 | $74,180 to $109,650 | 2,030 |
| Utah | $81,060 | $67,120 to $114,670 | 280 |
| Virginia | $108,250 | $74,880 to $125,740 | 280 |
| Washington | $137,180 | $100,710 to $153,370 | 540 |
| Wisconsin | $77,640 | $60,140 to $94,080 | 370 |
Nationally: $109,910. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 3 of its 20 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly. | Not published |
| Not much | Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain log books that detail all repairs and checks performed. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust safety controls, counterweights, door mechanisms, and components such as valves, ratchets, seals, and brake linings. | Not published |
| AI + software | Participate in additional training to keep skills up to date. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| Not much | Connect electrical wiring to control panels and electric motors. | Not published |
| AI + software | Check that safety regulations and building codes are met, and complete service reports verifying conformance to standards. | Not published |
| Not much | Test newly installed equipment to ensure that it meets specifications, such as stopping at floors for set amounts of time. | Not published |
| Not much | Install electrical wires and controls by attaching conduit along shaft walls from floor to floor and pulling plastic-covered wires through the conduit. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate elevators to determine power demands, and test power consumption to detect overload factors. | Not published |
| Not much | Read and interpret blueprints to determine the layout of system components, frameworks, and foundations, and to select installation equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach guide shoes and rollers to minimize the lateral motion of cars as they travel through shafts. | Not published |
| Not much | Connect car frames to counterweights, using steel cables. | Not published |
| Not much | Bolt or weld steel rails to the walls of shafts to guide elevators, working from scaffolding or platforms. | Not published |
| Not much | Assemble elevator cars, installing each car's platform, walls, and doors. | Not published |
| Not much | Install outer doors and door frames at elevator entrances on each floor of a structure. | Not published |
| Not much | Assemble electrically powered stairs, steel frameworks, and tracks, and install associated motors and electrical wiring. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Cut prefabricated sections of framework, rails, and other components to specified dimensions. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 20 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 20 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Install commercial or production equipment | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems |
Show all 15 activities
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools | |||
| Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards | |||
| Repair electrical or electronic equipment | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for elevator and escalator installers and repairers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 998 moves out
- 1 Industrial Machinery Mechanics Moderate +17.8% 10%
- 2 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 5%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Web Developers (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers High +5.4% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 975 moves in
- 1 Industrial Machinery Mechanics Moderate +17.8% 13%
- 2 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 6%
- 3 Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Low +5.3% 6%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers High +5.4% 5%
- 5 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 47% high school
- 47% postsecondary certificate
- 5% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 4% less than high school
- 38% high school
- 31% some college
- 16% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 264 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 6 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/47-4021.00