Best degree programs for Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 299 schools train Control and Valve Installers and Repairers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $74,340 median wage, 48,240 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 299 schools train control and valve installers and repairers, graduating 10,014 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician. The job pays a median of $74,340 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About control and valve installers and repairers
Install, repair, and maintain mechanical regulating and controlling devices, such as electric meters, gas regulators, thermostats, safety and flow valves, and other mechanical governors.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
2 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 47.0303 | 9,155 | 91.4% | 268 | $51,920 | $9,786 |
| 2 | CIP 47.0302 | 859 | 8.6% | 53 | $51,920 | $9,786 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What control and valve installers and repairers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | $61,450 | 450 | 0.73× | 13 | 2,156 |
| Georgia | $61,070 | 870 | 0.57× | 20 | 1,093 |
| Alabama | $61,670 | 430 | 0.66× | 16 | 933 |
| California | $100,260 | 4,310 | 0.76× | 26 | 787 |
| Tennessee | $57,010 | 670 | 0.66× | 21 | 758 |
| Wisconsin | $76,540 | 980 | 1.08× | 16 | 480 |
| Iowa | $83,830 | 820 | 1.70× | 10 | 419 |
| Illinois | $61,980 | 250 | 0.13× | 22 | 385 |
| Michigan | $96,890 | 2,240 | 1.64× | 10 | 274 |
| Texas | $58,230 | 11,630 | 2.67× | 9 | 272 |
| Indianalimited | $60,170 | 760 | 0.77× | 1 | 234 |
| Pennsylvania | $78,120 | 1,330 | 0.71× | 12 | 230 |
| Nebraska | $88,610 | 440 | 1.39× | 5 | 226 |
| Arkansas | $61,440 | 440 | 1.09× | 9 | 218 |
| Utah | $73,090 | 300 | 0.56× | 8 | 209 |
| Ohio | $76,920 | 1,230 | 0.72× | 14 | 131 |
| South Carolina | $50,800 | 420 | 0.58× | 6 | 114 |
| Louisiana | $66,730 | 560 | 0.94× | 7 | 105 |
| Oregon | $97,110 | 490 | 0.81× | 6 | 104 |
| Nevadalimited | $72,310 | 70 | 0.15× | 2 | 103 |
| Minnesota | $76,640 | 710 | 0.77× | 5 | 88 |
| Mississippi | $48,670 | 170 | 0.46× | 7 | 88 |
| North Carolinalimited | $64,820 | 1,440 | 0.94× | 2 | 87 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $67,520 | 320 | 1.20× | 3 | 61 |
| Wyominglimited | $100,030 | 290 | 3.38× | 2 | 55 |
| Florida | $57,460 | 1,250 | 0.41× | 6 | 53 |
| Washington | $102,870 | 450 | 0.41× | 7 | 51 |
| Missouri | $77,650 | 620 | 0.68× | 6 | 50 |
| Kansasmoderate | $77,720 | 290 | 0.64× | 4 | 48 |
| Oklahomalimited | $62,780 | 1,320 | 2.50× | 2 | 43 |
| Arizonamoderate | $60,570 | 840 | 0.83× | 4 | 42 |
| New Jerseylimited | $96,510 | 1,000 | 0.75× | 2 | 26 |
| Idahomoderate | $84,390 | 180 | 0.66× | 3 | 17 |
| West Virginialimited | $79,000 | 610 | 2.81× | 2 | 14 |
| Mainelimited | $66,240 | 190 | 0.96× | 2 | 12 |
| North Dakotalimited | $103,580 | 270 | 2.04× | 1 | 10 |
| Alaskalimited | $109,450 | 30 | 0.31× | 1 | 7 |
| Coloradomoderate | $63,770 | 1,190 | 1.34× | 3 | 5 |
| Virginialimited | $68,000 | 820 | 0.64× | 1 | 5 |
| Delawarelimited | $75,720 | 150 | 1.00× | 1 | 1 |
| South Dakotalimited | $98,090 | 150 | 1.06× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Record maintenance information, including test results, material usage, and repairs made.
- Disassemble and repair mechanical control devices or valves, such as regulators, thermostats, or hydrants, using power tools, hand tools, and cutting torches.
- Lubricate wearing surfaces of mechanical parts, using oils or other lubricants.
- Calibrate instrumentation, such as meters, gauges, and regulators, for pressure, temperature, flow, and level.
- Install, inspect and test electric meters, relays, and power sources to detect causes of malfunctions and inaccuracies, using hand tools and testing equipment.
- Test valves and regulators for leaks and accurate temperature and pressure settings, using precision testing equipment.
- Record meter readings and installation data on meter cards, work orders, or field service orders, or enter data into hand-held computers.
- Turn meters on or off to establish or close service.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.4
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Listening3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Writing3.0
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Active Learning2.9
- Learning Strategies2.5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.1
- Engineering and Technology3.6
- Public Safety and Security3.5
- Computers and Electronics3.3
- Customer and Personal Service3.3
- Mathematics3.2
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity3.6
- Oral Comprehension3.6
- Near Vision3.6
- Oral Expression3.5
- Deductive Reasoning3.4
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.4
Core activities
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment4.4
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.3
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.1
- Getting Information4.1
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.1
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Control
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
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.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Control and Valve Installers and Repairers2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 47.0302Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology/Technician
- 47.0303Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Control?+
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 9,155 degrees in 2024-25, 91.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Control?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 10,014 people a year.
How much do control and valve installers and repairers earn?+
The median is $74,340 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $45,910 at the 10th percentile to $112,500 at the 90th. 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 control and valve installers and repairers growing?+
BLS projects a +1.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 3,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
299 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 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 control and valve installers and repairers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Meter Technician, Valve Technician, Measurement Technician, Instrument and Electrical Technician (I and E Technician) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-9012.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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