Maintenance Workers build equipment maintenance, repairing and troubleshooting skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers (91%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers | 91% | $56,210 | −8% | None |
| 2 | Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | 90% | $65,510 | +8% | None |
| 3 | Rail Car Repairers | 85% | $67,530 | +11% | None |
| 4 | Hydroelectric Plant Technicians | 81% | $102,040Pay for the broader BLS group “Power Plant Operators” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | 80% | $53,710 | −12% | None |
| 6 | Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists | 80% | $61,770 | +2% | None |
| 7 | Machinists | 79% | $58,750 | −3% | None |
| 8 | Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | 79% | $74,090 | +22% | None |
| 9 | Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 79% | $79,870 | +31% | None |
| 10 | Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | 79% | $78,620 | +29% | None |
Compared with Maintenance Workers, Machinery, median $60,850. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as maintenance workers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
91% skill match · $56,210 · −8% pay
Equipment Selection · Systems Analysis · Systems Evaluation
90% skill match · $65,510 · +8% pay
Equipment Selection · Systems Analysis · Management of Personnel Resources
85% skill match · $67,530 · +11% pay
Systems Evaluation · Systems Analysis · Management of Personnel Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers (91% skill match, median $56,210), Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines (90% skill match, median $65,510) and Rail Car Repairers (85% skill match, median $67,530), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 12 pay more than maintenance workers at the median. The biggest increases: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (+81%, $109,910), Ship Engineers (+80%, $109,530) and Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment (+40%, $84,890).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.