---
title: "Maintenance Worker, Machinery"
description: "Lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/maintenance-worker-machinery"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Maintenance Worker, Machinery

**Category:** Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · **SOC code:** 49-9043 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 49-9043.00

Lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance.

Also advertised as: Lubricator; Machine Repairer; Maintainer; Maintenance Craftsman; Maintenance Man; Maintenance Mechanic; Maintenance Technician (Maintenance Tech); Maintenance Worker.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $60,850 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $29.25/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $42,000 to $88,550, with the middle half between $48,920 and $75,200
- **Total US employment:** 60,020
- **Typical entry education:** High school
- **Preparation required:** Some preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** -1.9% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 4,400 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 57/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 60,020 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $42,000 |
| 25th | $48,920 |
| 50th (median) | $60,850 |
| 75th | $75,200 |
| 90th | $88,550 |
| Mean (average) | $64,610 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WY | $84,620 | $91,293 | 280 |
| NH | $77,070 | $73,988 | 130 |
| KY | $76,710 | $85,083 | 2,920 |
| NV | $75,500 | $75,516 | 750 |
| RI | $72,040 | $70,434 | 110 |
| CA | $67,840 | $61,272 | 4,130 |
| NY | $67,610 | $62,648 | 2,760 |
| VA | $65,500 | $64,785 | 1,420 |
| SC | $64,910 | $69,238 | 960 |
| TN | $64,790 | $70,524 | 800 |
| IA | $64,760 | $73,790 | 900 |
| WI | $64,310 | $68,346 | 420 |
| CO | $64,010 | $62,114 | 740 |
| MO | $63,720 | $70,163 | 2,180 |
| CT | $63,250 | $61,046 | 410 |

32 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 47 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/maintenance-worker-machinery/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/maintenance-worker-machinery.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 59,700 in the 2025–2035 base year to 58,600 by the end of the cycle — a loss of 1,200 jobs, or -1.9%. Declining: -1.9% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 4,400 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** High school diploma or equivalent (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Some preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Long-term on-the-job training.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 54.1% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 40.7% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 2.6% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 2.6% |

## What the work involves

- Record production, repair, and machine maintenance information.
- Inspect or test damaged machine parts, and mark defective areas or advise supervisors of repair needs.
- Collect and discard worn machine parts and other refuse to maintain machinery and work areas.
- Start machines and observe mechanical operation to determine efficiency and to detect problems.
- Reassemble machines after the completion of repair or maintenance work.
- Install, replace, or change machine parts and attachments, according to production specifications.
- Lubricate or apply adhesives or other materials to machines, machine parts, or other equipment according to specified procedures.
- Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair, using hand tools, chain falls, jacks, cranes, or hoists.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 2.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Operations Monitoring — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Equipment Maintenance — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Troubleshooting — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Repairing — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operation and Control — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Quality Control Analysis — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Mechanical — importance 4.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Production and Processing — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administration and Management — importance 3.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Design — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Education and Training — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Arm-Hand Steadiness — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Manual Dexterity — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Near Vision — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Control Precision — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Visualization — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 7.00 |
| C — Conventional | 4.25 |
| I — Investigative | 2.04 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.20 |
| A — Artistic | 1.00 |
| S — Social | 1.00 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 89.2 |
| ISTP | 76.6 |
| ISFJ | 74.4 |
| ESTJ | 73.3 |
| INTJ | 65.5 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Industrial Machinery Mechanic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/industrial-machinery-mechanic) — median $64,520
- [Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/grinding-lapping-polishing-and-buffing-machine-tool-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $46,550
- [Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electric-motor-power-tool-and-related-repairer) — median $56,210
- [Multiple Machine Tool Setter, Operator, and Tender, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/multiple-machine-tool-setter-operator-and-tender-metal-and-plastic) — median $47,180
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanic) — median $65,510
- [Tool Grinder, Filer, and Sharpener](https://nuecareer.com/careers/tool-grinder-filer-and-sharpener) — median $50,060
- [Woodworking Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender, Except Sawing](https://nuecareer.com/careers/woodworking-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $43,380
- [Rail Car Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/rail-car-repairer) — median $67,530
- [Machine Feeder and Offbearer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/machine-feeder-and-offbearer) — median $41,220
- [Control and Valve Installer and Repairer, Except Mechanical Door](https://nuecareer.com/careers/control-and-valve-installer-and-repairer) — median $74,340

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank 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 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/maintenance-worker-machinery