Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Wind Turbine Service Technician Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines.

Median pay
$64,120
Growth to 2035
+29.5%
Openings a year
1,500
Typical entry
Certificate

The median pay for Wind Turbine Service Technicians is $64,120 a year ($30.83/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 29.5% through 2035, with about 1,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.

  • SOC 49-9081
  • Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
  • Last updated October 9, 2026

At a glance

Wind Turbine Service Technician in four numbers

Median pay
$64,120a year, or $30.83/hr
Lowest 10% $49KTop 10% $92K

US median, all jobs: $50,980

BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected growth
+29.5%Much faster than average
This career
+29.5%
All jobs
+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
This career+29.5%
All jobs+3.5%
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year
1,50011,800 jobs today
  • Jobs in 202511.8K
  • Projected 203515.3K
Employment, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Jobs in 202511.8K
Projected 203515.3K
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Typical education
Certificateneeded to enter
  • High school28.7%
  • Certificate34.4%
  • Some college21.8%
  • Associate's15.1%
Highest education held by wind turbine service technicians
SegmentValue
High school28.7%
Certificate34.4%
Some college21.8%
Associate's15.1%
BLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET

Also advertised as: Field Service Technician, Renewable Energy Technician, Service Technician, Troubleshooting Technician, Wind Farm Support Specialist, Wind Technician.

Pay

How much do Wind Turbine Service Technicians make?

Annual pay, lowest-paid to highest-paid

Every wind turbine service technician in the US, by percentile of annual wage

Median

$64,120

Middle half earn $58,840 to $78,010

10th
$49,230
25th
$58,840
75th
$78,010
90th
$92,460

All US occupations: $50,980

Wind Turbine Service Technician annual wages
PercentileValue
10th$49,230
25th$58,840
Median$64,120
75th$78,010
90th$92,460
All US occupations$50,980

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Median annual wage
$64,120
Median hourly wage
$30.83/hr
Mean annual wage
$68,980
People employed
9,980

Versus all US occupations

At $64,120, Wind Turbine Service Technicians earn 26% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $13,140 a year.

Versus installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

Inside the Installation, Maintenance, and Repair group, where the middle occupation pays $61,150, this is 5% above the group median.

Pay range

The top 10% earn $92,460 or more while the bottom 10% earn $49,230, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.

Rank in the bank

This median pays more than 39% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.

Cost of living

New York posts the highest raw median ($81,330), but once local prices are taken into account Kansas leads at $86,868 in national-average dollars.

Pay by state

Which states pay Wind Turbine Service Technicians the most?

State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.

Top 10 states by median annual wage for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
StateMedianCOL-adjustedEmployed
1New York$81,330$75,361390
2Kansas$78,240$86,868330
3California$77,910$70,367400
4Indiana$76,680$82,161140
5Washington$75,880$70,907210
6Iowa$74,880$85,322900
7Colorado$74,740$72,526410
8Ohio$73,880$79,634120
9South Dakota$73,820$83,331180
10North Dakota$66,700$74,978310

Job outlook

Is Wind Turbine Service Technician a growing career?

Projected change in jobs

Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation

Wind Turbine Service Technicians
+29.5%
All US occupations
+3.5%

Much faster than average. +29.5% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.

Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Wind Turbine Service Technicians+29.5%
All US occupations+3.5%

Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035

Much faster than average

BLS projects employment of Wind Turbine Service Technicians to change 29.5% over 2025–2035, roughly 8.4× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 3,500 more jobs.

Annual openings

About 1,500 openings are projected each year, 12.7% of the 11,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.

Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Increased demand for electricity is expected to result in more wind turbines being built. This, in turn, should create jobs for wind turbine service technicians to install and maintain these turbines.

Getting in

How to become a Wind Turbine Service Technician

Wind turbine service technicians, also known as windtechs, typically need a postsecondary nondegree award to enter the occupation. They also typically receive on-the-job training from their employer.

  1. 1

    Typical entry-level education

    Postsecondary nondegree award

  2. 2

    Work experience in a related occupation

    None

  3. 3

    Typical on-the-job training

    Long-term on-the-job training

  4. 4

    Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)

    Some preparation

BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.

What education people in the job have

O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as wind turbine service technicians.

  • Post-Secondary Certificate34.4%
  • High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)28.7%
  • Some College Courses21.8%
  • Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree15.1%
Highest education held by wind turbine service technicians
ItemValue
Post-Secondary Certificate34.4%
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)28.7%
Some College Courses21.8%
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree15.1%

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Full BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entry

The work

What does a Wind Turbine Service Technician do?

Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines. Perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions.

Wind turbine service technicians, also known as windtechs, maintain and repair wind turbines.

Day-to-day tasks

  1. Diagnose problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems.
  2. Climb wind turbine towers to inspect, maintain, or repair equipment.
  3. Start or restart wind turbine generator systems to ensure proper operations.
  4. Troubleshoot or repair mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical malfunctions related to variable pitch systems, variable speed control systems, converter systems, or related components.
  5. Maintain tool and spare parts inventories required for repair, installation, or replacement services.
  6. Perform routine maintenance on wind turbine equipment, underground transmission systems, wind fields substations, or fiber optic sensing and control systems.
  7. Test electrical components of wind systems with devices, such as voltage testers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, infrared testers, or fiber optic equipment.
  8. Test structures, controls, or mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical systems, according to test plans or in coordination with engineers.

O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.

Working conditions and hours

Most windtechs work full time, and they also may be on call in the evening or on weekends.

Windtechs may travel to wind farms in rural areas or on offshore wind farms. Working on offshore farms may require being away from home for several days or weeks at a time.

Where the work happens

  • Indoors, climate-controlled

    NeverEvery day

    Rarely works in a climate-controlled indoor space.

  • Outdoors in all weather

    NeverEvery day

    Outdoors in all weather at least weekly.

Physical demands

  • Sitting

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Standing

    NeverAlmost all the time

    On their feet more than half the working day.

  • Bending or twisting

    NeverAlmost all the time

    Regular bending or twisting.

Working with people

  • Contact with other people

    NoneConstant

    Constant contact with other people.

  • Face-to-face discussions

    NeverEvery day

    Face-to-face discussions every day.

  • Dealing with the public

    Not importantExtremely important

Pressure and stakes

  • Strict deadlines

    NeverEvery day

    Meeting strict deadlines at least weekly.

  • Conflict situations

    NeverEvery day
  • Cost of a mistake

    Not seriousExtremely serious

    Mistakes carry very serious consequences.

Autonomy

  • Freedom to decide

    NoneA lot

    A lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.

Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.

Where wind turbine service technicians work

Share of jobs by employer type

  • Wind electric power generation42%
  • Self-employed workers15%
  • Power and communication line and related structures construction15%
  • Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment (except automotive and electronic) repair and maintenance12%
Largest employers of Wind Turbine Service Technicians
ItemValue
Wind electric power generation42%
Self-employed workers15%
Power and communication line and related structures construction15%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment (except automotive and electronic) repair and maintenance12%

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition

Core skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Critical Thinking3.5
  • Reading Comprehension3.3
  • Monitoring3.3
  • Active Listening3.1
  • Speaking3.1
  • Active Learning3.1
  • Learning Strategies3.0
  • Writing2.9
Core skills for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
ItemValue
Critical Thinking3.5
Reading Comprehension3.3
Monitoring3.3
Active Listening3.1
Speaking3.1
Active Learning3.1
Learning Strategies3.0
Writing2.9

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Transferable skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Operations Monitoring4.0
  • Equipment Maintenance4.0
  • Troubleshooting4.0
  • Repairing4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving3.3
  • Quality Control Analysis3.3
  • Operation and Control3.1
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.1
Transferable skills for Wind Turbine Service Technicians
ItemValue
Operations Monitoring4.0
Equipment Maintenance4.0
Troubleshooting4.0
Repairing4.0
Complex Problem Solving3.3
Quality Control Analysis3.3
Operation and Control3.1
Judgment and Decision Making3.1

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Tools and software

  • Data base user interface and query software · in demand
  • Electronic mail software · in demand
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
  • Office suite software · in demand
  • Presentation software · in demand
  • Project management software · in demand
  • Spreadsheet software · in demand
  • Word processing software · in demand
  • Analytical or scientific software
  • Facilities management software
  • Industrial control software
  • Internet browser software

“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.

Personality fit

What personality type suits a Wind Turbine Service Technician?

Interest profile

O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7

Wind Turbine Service Technician · Realistic: 7Wind Turbine Service Technician · Investigative: 4Wind Turbine Service Technician · Artistic: 1Wind Turbine Service Technician · Social: 2Wind Turbine Service Technician · Enterprising: 2Wind Turbine Service Technician · Conventional: 4
Wind Turbine Service Technician interest profile
AxisWind Turbine Service Technician
Realistic7
Investigative4
Artistic1
Social2
Enterprising2
Conventional4

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

What the work is built around

Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.

  • Realistic7.0
  • Conventional4.3
  • Investigative3.6
  • Enterprising1.8
  • Social1.6
  • Artistic1.0

Closest MBTI types

NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.

Questions

Wind Turbine Service Technician: frequently asked questions

How much do Wind Turbine Service Technicians make?

Wind Turbine Service Technicians earn a median of $64,120 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 26% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $30.83/hr. The middle half earn between $58,840 and $78,010. The top 10% earn $92,460 or more.

Do you need a degree to become a Wind Turbine Service Technician?

Not a degree, but you do need credentialed training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or license program) as the typical entry route for Wind Turbine Service Technicians. BLS also lists long-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 34.4% hold post-secondary certificate.

Is Wind Turbine Service Technician a growing career?

Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 29.5% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

What does a Wind Turbine Service Technician do?

Wind turbine service technicians, also known as windtechs, maintain and repair wind turbines. A core O*NET task: diagnose problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software.

Which states pay Wind Turbine Service Technicians the most?

The highest state medians for Wind Turbine Service Technicians are New York ($81,330), Kansas ($78,240), California ($77,910) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Kansas moves to the top at $86,868.

What personality type suits a Wind Turbine Service Technician?

O*NET scores Wind Turbine Service Technicians highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.