California·Construction and Extraction Occupations·SOC 47-4021

Best Elevator programs in California, ranked by enrollment

Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or.

22 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 671 people a year. The job pays a median of $141,180 in California across about 1,910 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledElevator MechanicElevator Service MechanicElevator Technician (Elevator Tech)Elevator Service Technician (Elevator Service Tech)InstallerElevator WorkerElevator BuilderElevator Erector
Graduates / yr
671
in California
Median pay · California
$141,180
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,910
people employed
Schools
22
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
44%
across those schools
Median net price
$25,705
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in California that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

1 programs in California that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1671
100.0%
22$51,920$9,786

Top 22 schools in California

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 22 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
158Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician35%
2San Joaquin Valley College - Modesto
Salida, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
69Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician$55,31477%$25,571
3Barstow Community College
Barstow, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
66Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician39%
4College of the Sequoias
Visalia, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
61Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician39%
5San Joaquin Valley College - Visalia
Visalia, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
53Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician$55,31436%$30,518
6Universal Technical Institute of California Inc
Rancho Cucamonga, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
50Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician72%$24,830
7Fresno City College
Fresno, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
35Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician24%
8San Joaquin Valley College - Ontario
Ontario, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
31Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician$55,31464%$26,900
9Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Fremont
Fremont, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
21Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician57%$25,705
10Lemoore College
Lemoore, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
20Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician49%
11Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
17Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician56%
12American River College
Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
16Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician37%
13Imperial Valley College
Imperial, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
15Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician45%
14San Joaquin Valley College - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
12Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician$55,31458%$24,205
15Los Medanos College
Pittsburg, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
11Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician41%
16Sacramento City College
Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
10Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician33%
17San Jose City College
San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
9Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician34%
18Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
7Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician21%
19San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician28%
20Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
3Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician49%
21Madera Community College
Madera, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
2Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician35%
22Clovis Community College
Fresno, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician45%

All 22 schools in California

Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in California that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Los Angeles Trade Technical CollegeLos AngelesPublic1581
San Joaquin Valley College - ModestoSalidaPrivate for-profit691
Barstow Community CollegeBarstowPublic661
College of the SequoiasVisaliaPublic611
San Joaquin Valley College - VisaliaVisaliaPrivate for-profit531
Universal Technical Institute of California IncRancho CucamongaPrivate for-profit501
Fresno City CollegeFresnoPublic351
San Joaquin Valley College - OntarioOntarioPrivate for-profit311
Aviation Institute of Maintenance - FremontFremontPrivate for-profit211
Lemoore CollegeLemoorePublic201
Foothill CollegeLos Altos HillsPublic171
American River CollegeSacramentoPublic161
Imperial Valley CollegeImperialPublic151
San Joaquin Valley College - BakersfieldBakersfieldPrivate for-profit121
Los Medanos CollegePittsburgPublic111

What elevator and escalator installers and repairers earn in California

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in California
$141,180
Mean annual
$137,670
Jobs in state
1,910
What the range looks like
10th pct$74,670Median$141,18090th pct$173,920
Versus the national median
+28.5%

U.S. median $109,910. California pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.69×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in California

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$173,920median
70 jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$168,270median
370 jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$140,600median
850 jobs
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
$140,250median
170 jobs
Fresno, CA
$126,110median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+5.0%
Faster than average
Openings per year
2,000
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
1,200
24,200 → 25,400
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus apprenticeship

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers page.

How to become a Elevator

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Apprenticeship

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingActive ListeningActive LearningMonitoringReading ComprehensionSpeaking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in California

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 1 majors mapped to Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 47.0303Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing elevator and escalator installers and repairers programs in California.

What degree do you need to become an Elevator?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician, which awarded 671 degrees in California in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Elevator?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 671 people a year in California.

How much do elevator and escalator installers and repairers earn in California?+

The median is $141,180 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 28.5% above the U.S. median of $109,910. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for elevator and escalator installers and repairers growing?+

BLS projects a +5.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 2,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+

22 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do elevator and escalator installers and repairers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Elevator Mechanic, Elevator Service Mechanic, Elevator Technician (Elevator Tech), Elevator Service Technician (Elevator Service Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 47-4021.

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers in other statesKentuckyGeorgiaAlabamaTennesseeIowaWisconsinIllinoisIndiana

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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