Contents
- Equipment repair employment statistics: U.S. occupation baselines
- Equipment repair employment statistics: machinery and industrial roles
- Equipment repair employment statistics: mobile and outdoor power equipment
- Equipment repair employment statistics: projected job growth
- equipment repair employment: Equipment repair jobs in electronic and precision equipment repair industries
- Sources
Equipment repair employment statistics: U.S. occupation baselines
“Equipment repair” covers a range of occupations rather than one BLS job category. The national Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) table separates repair work by the type of equipment and occupational specialty. Its May 2025 figures provide a baseline for several distinct kinds of repair work; they are national occupation estimates, not counts of everyone who repairs equipment as one combined workforce.
| U.S. occupation | Employment, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Medical equipment repairers | 65,990 |
| Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers | 14,450 |
| Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other | 9,400 |
| Musical instrument repairers and tuners | 5,380 |
| Camera and photographic equipment repairers | 1,650 |
| Watch and clock repairers | 1,310 |
Source: BLS, National employment and wage data by occupation, May 2025.
These categories span medical technology, motors and tools, precision devices, musical instruments, cameras, and timepieces. The largest figure in this selected group is for medical equipment repairers, at 65,990. The table also shows how much smaller some specialized trades are in the national estimate: watch and clock repairers numbered 1,310, while camera and photographic equipment repairers numbered 1,650. These are occupation-specific estimates, not a ranking of all equipment repair work.
The categories should be read by their BLS titles. “Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other” is a residual occupational category, while “electric motor, power tool, and related repairers” explicitly groups several related types of work. The counts therefore describe classifications used in the occupational table, not a complete inventory of every device repaired in the country. The BLS occupational tables do not identify firearm maintenance or gun-cleaning equipment repair as a separate occupation. The relevant evidence here is limited to the named repair and maintenance occupations and industries.
Equipment repair employment statistics: machinery and industrial roles
Industrial machinery mechanics form a much larger national occupation than the more specialized trades above. OEWS estimated 439,640 industrial machinery mechanics in May 2025. The same table counted 60,020 machinery maintenance workers and 40,330 millwrights. These are separate occupational categories, so they should not be added together as though they were interchangeable titles or a single industry count.
| U.S. occupation | Employment, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Industrial machinery mechanics | 439,640 |
| Maintenance workers, machinery | 60,020 |
| Millwrights | 40,330 |
Source: BLS, National employment and wage data by occupation, May 2025.
A separate BLS industry chart gives a narrower view: occupation employment within the commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance industry. In May 2024, this industry employed 49,570 industrial machinery mechanics, 9,290 mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines, and 4,500 general maintenance and repair workers.
| Occupation within commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance | Employment, May 2024 |
|---|---|
| Industrial machinery mechanics | 49,570 |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines | 9,290 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general | 4,500 |
Source: BLS, Largest Occupations in Selected Industries, May 2024.
The national occupation estimate and the industry chart answer different questions. The 439,640 figure counts industrial machinery mechanics across the U.S. economy in May 2025. The 49,570 figure counts that occupation within one specified repair and maintenance industry in May 2024. The difference in scope and reference date means the figures are not a direct year-to-year comparison. The industry chart also shows that the named industry employed people in related roles, including mobile heavy equipment mechanics and general maintenance and repair workers.
Equipment repair employment statistics: mobile and outdoor power equipment
The May 2025 national estimates include repair occupations associated with agriculture, construction and other heavy equipment, small engines, and boats. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines, numbered 176,600. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians numbered 37,870, while outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics numbered 36,060. Motorboat mechanics and service technicians numbered 23,220.
| U.S. occupation | Employment, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines | 176,600 |
| Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians | 37,870 |
| Outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics | 36,060 |
| Motorboat mechanics and service technicians | 23,220 |
Source: BLS, National employment and wage data by occupation, May 2025.
The “except engines” wording is part of the mobile heavy equipment occupation title and matters when reading its estimate. It distinguishes the listed category from engine-focused repair work. Farm equipment and outdoor power equipment are also separate occupations in the table, even though both involve machinery used outside a factory setting. The estimates give the number employed in each occupation nationally; they do not indicate how many work in a particular industry, how many are self-employed, or how many hours they work.
Motorboat mechanics appear in both national occupation data and the BLS industry chart. The national estimate is 23,220 for May 2025. Within personal and household goods repair and maintenance, the May 2024 chart reports 5,540 motorboat mechanics and service technicians. That industry-specific number is a subset by industry and has a different reference year; it should not be substituted for the national occupation count.
Equipment repair employment statistics: projected job growth
BLS occupational projections show differing outlooks across selected repair occupations. The projections table reports employment in thousands for 2024 and 2034, alongside a projected percentage change. The values below retain the table’s printed unit and period.
| Occupation | Employment, 2024 (thousands) | Employment, 2034 (thousands) | Projected change, 2024–2034 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial machinery mechanics | 446.9 | 526.6 | 17.8% |
| Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians | 41.9 | 46.4 | 10.7% |
| Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines | 180.3 | 192.5 | 6.7% |
| Outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics | 38.3 | 39.2 | 2.3% |
| Medical equipment repairers | 71.8 | 80.9 | 12.6% |
Source: BLS, Occupational projections and worker characteristics.
Within this selected set, industrial machinery mechanics have the highest projected percentage growth, at 17.8% between 2024 and 2034. Medical equipment repairers are projected to grow 12.6% in that same table and period. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians are projected to grow 10.7%, mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines, 6.7%, and outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics 2.3%.
These are projections, not observed future employment. Their values are in thousands: for example, the table lists industrial machinery mechanics at 446.9 thousand in 2024 and 526.6 thousand in 2034. It also reports a numeric change of 79.7 thousand for that occupation. The other listed numeric changes are 4.5 thousand for farm equipment mechanics and service technicians, 12.1 thousand for mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines, 0.9 thousand for outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics, and 9.1 thousand for medical equipment repairers. The table’s reported values should be read as printed; they are not headcounts with unit-level precision.
Medical equipment repairers also have a separate Occupational Outlook Handbook projection covering 2025–2035. That source projects 13% employment growth over that decade and about 8,200 openings per year, on average. The annual openings figure includes replacement needs, so it is not equivalent to projected net job growth. The Handbook period differs from the 2024–2034 projection table period, and the two rates should not be treated as if they cover the same years.
Source: BLS, Medical Equipment Repairers: Occupational Outlook Handbook.
equipment repair employment: Equipment repair jobs in electronic and precision equipment repair industries
BLS industry data show which occupations were among the largest in electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance in May 2024. The industry employed 10,330 medical equipment repairers, 4,290 electrical and electronics repairers in commercial and industrial equipment, and 2,390 precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other.
| Occupation within electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance | Employment, May 2024 |
|---|---|
| Medical equipment repairers | 10,330 |
| Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment | 4,290 |
| Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other | 2,390 |
Source: BLS, Largest Occupations in Selected Industries, May 2024.
These are industry-specific counts, not national totals for each occupation. For instance, the 10,330 medical equipment repairers figure describes those employed within the named electronic and precision equipment repair industry in May 2024. The national OEWS estimate for the medical equipment repairer occupation is 65,990 in May 2025. The figures use different scopes and dates, so they should be kept distinct.
The same industry chart reports two occupations in personal and household goods repair and maintenance: 12,100 home appliance repairers and 5,540 motorboat mechanics and service technicians in May 2024. These counts place repair work in another industry grouping, separate from electronic and precision equipment repair. As with the other chart entries, they describe occupation employment inside that specified industry, rather than the total U.S. workforce in those occupations.
Source: BLS, Largest Occupations in Selected Industries, May 2024.
Sources
- Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey by occupation, May 2025
- Occupational projections and worker characteristics
- OEWS Chart: Largest Occupations in Selected Industries, May 2024
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers: Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Medical Equipment Repairers: Occupational Outlook Handbook