Best degree programs for Maintenance Workers, Machinery, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 268 schools train Maintenance Workers, Machinery. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $60,850 median wage, 60,020 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 268 schools train maintenance workers, machinery, graduating 9,155 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician. The job pays a median of $60,850 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About maintenance workers, machinery
Lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance.
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.
1 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 | 100.0% | 268 | $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 maintenance workers, machinery 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 | $76,710 | 2,920 | 3.78× | 13 | 2,156 |
| Georgia | $57,730 | 2,900 | 1.54× | 20 | 1,010 |
| Alabama | $60,560 | 420 | 0.51× | 16 | 933 |
| California | $67,840 | 4,130 | 0.59× | 22 | 671 |
| Tennessee | $64,790 | 800 | 0.63× | 20 | 600 |
| Iowa | $64,760 | 900 | 1.49× | 10 | 419 |
| Wisconsin | $64,310 | 420 | 0.37× | 15 | 384 |
| Illinois | $59,300 | 560 | 0.24× | 21 | 372 |
| Indianalimited | $48,760 | 1,780 | 1.44× | 1 | 234 |
| Michigan | $59,590 | 1,640 | 0.96× | 8 | 233 |
| Texas | $59,280 | 8,800 | 1.62× | 8 | 221 |
| Arkansas | $53,250 | 770 | 1.53× | 9 | 218 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $61,190 | 650 | 1.64× | 3 | 207 |
| Utah | $60,850 | 1,180 | 1.76× | 7 | 199 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,080 | 1,260 | 0.54× | 10 | 186 |
| Ohio | $59,280 | 2,330 | 1.09× | 12 | 126 |
| South Carolina | $64,910 | 960 | 1.08× | 6 | 114 |
| Louisiana | $62,640 | 1,410 | 1.89× | 7 | 105 |
| Nevadalimited | $75,500 | 750 | 1.25× | 1 | 102 |
| Oregon | $57,440 | 430 | 0.57× | 6 | 96 |
| Mississippi | $54,380 | 450 | 1.00× | 6 | 80 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $36,240 | — | — | 3 | 61 |
| Minnesotamoderate | $63,020 | 730 | 0.64× | 4 | 58 |
| Wyominglimited | $84,620 | 280 | 2.61× | 2 | 55 |
| Washington | $62,970 | 700 | 0.51× | 7 | 51 |
| Missouri | $63,720 | 2,180 | 1.92× | 6 | 50 |
| Kansasmoderate | $60,160 | 1,040 | 1.88× | 4 | 48 |
| Oklahomalimited | $58,970 | 1,530 | 2.32× | 2 | 43 |
| Floridamoderate | $51,900 | 2,830 | 0.74× | 4 | 30 |
| Arizonamoderate | $56,130 | 440 | 0.35× | 3 | 28 |
| New Jerseylimited | $57,920 | 310 | 0.19× | 1 | 12 |
| Idaholimited | $56,250 | 170 | 0.51× | 2 | 11 |
| Coloradomoderate | $64,010 | 740 | 0.67× | 3 | 5 |
| Virginialimited | $65,500 | 1,420 | 0.90× | 1 | 5 |
| Alaskalimited | $61,290 | 40 | 0.32× | 1 | 1 |
| South Dakotalimited | $45,240 | 50 | 0.29× | 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
- Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair, using hand tools, chain falls, jacks, cranes, or hoists.
- Reassemble machines after the completion of repair or maintenance work.
- Record production, repair, and machine maintenance information.
- Lubricate or apply adhesives or other materials to machines, machine parts, or other equipment according to specified procedures.
- Install, replace, or change machine parts and attachments, according to production specifications.
- Set up and operate machines, and adjust controls to regulate operations.
- Collaborate with other workers to repair or move machines, machine parts, or equipment.
- Read work orders and specifications to determine machines and equipment requiring repair or maintenance.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Speaking2.9
- Active Learning2.8
- Monitoring2.8
- Writing2.4
- Learning Strategies2.1
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.5
- Production and Processing3.4
- Administration and Management3.2
- English Language3.0
- Design3.0
- Education and Training3.0
Abilities
- Arm-Hand Steadiness4.0
- Problem Sensitivity3.6
- Near Vision3.4
- Manual Dexterity3.4
- Control Precision3.3
- Extent Flexibility3.1
Core activities
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment4.3
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.2
- Controlling Machines and Processes4.2
- Getting Information4.1
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.9
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.9
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Maintenance Worker, Machinery
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Long-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 1 majors mapped to Maintenance Workers, Machinery1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 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 Maintenance Worker, Machinery?+
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, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Maintenance Worker, Machinery?+
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 9,155 people a year.
How much do maintenance workers, machinery earn?+
The median is $60,850 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $42,000 at the 10th percentile to $88,550 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 maintenance workers, machinery growing?+
BLS projects a -2.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 4,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
268 institutions 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 maintenance workers, machinery work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Maintainer, Maintenance Worker, Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Technician (Maintenance Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-9043.
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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