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Boston Career Explorer

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

Home Appliance Repairers

Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.

Also called: Appliance Mechanic, Appliance Repair Mechanic, Appliance Repair Technician (Appliance Repair Tech), Appliance Service Technician, Appliance Technician (Appliance Tech), Repair Man

Median pay in Greater Boston
$69,610
$33.47/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
380
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+3.5%
70 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$50,110$60,390$69,610$86,400$100,640

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
  • Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
  • Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
  • Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
  • Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
  • Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure21 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 18
  • Language-model AIOE 20
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 24

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is on the lower end, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help with looking up manuals and troubleshooting guides and with billing paperwork. Finding loose parts, leaks, and electrical faults in a customer's home still takes hands-on work.

Likely to change

  • Looking up manuals and troubleshooting guides
  • Billing and work-order paperwork

Still relies on people

  • Testing circuits and finding shorts by hand
  • Talking with customers about the problem

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Industrial Machinery Mechanics

    Your skills in finding faults and replacing parts carry over to factory machines. The move offers higher Boston median pay ($75,200) and projected growth of 17.1%.

    Pay difference
    +$5,590 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +17.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

    Diagnosing problems and using hand tools carry over. Median pay is higher at $75,770, but the job needs long-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$6,160 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

    Repairing equipment and testing it after the fix carry over to heavy machines. Median pay is $76,770, with long-term on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$7,160 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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