How much do elevator installers make in 2026?
Elevator installers are counted in the BLS elevator and escalator installers and repairers series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 47-4021 national median at $109,910 a year ($52.84 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $59,270 and the top 10% at $158,890. That is the highest median of any construction trade in the survey, and the explanation is structural rather than mysterious. The occupation is small — about 23,790 workers nationally — apprenticeship intakes are limited and heavily oversubscribed, the work is safety-critical and inspected, and most jurisdictions license elevator mechanics, so the labour supply cannot expand quickly when demand rises. New installation work is concentrated in high-rise construction and modernisation programmes, both of which cluster in a limited number of metros. Employment is projected to grow 5% through 2034 with roughly 2,000 openings a year — a small number, which is the trade's central trade-off. Getting in is the hard part; being paid well afterwards is not. → Full elevator installer career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $109,910 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Elevator Installers earn a national median $109,910/yr ($52.84/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-4021); the P10 to P90 range is $59,270 to $158,890.
- The elevator series carries the highest median of any construction trade at $109,910, with a full range of $59,270 to $158,890.
- Pay reflects restricted supply: a small occupation, limited apprenticeship intakes, licensed mechanics and inspected safety-critical work.
- With roughly 2,000 openings a year, entry — not earnings — is the binding constraint, and new-installation work concentrates in high-rise construction markets.
US Elevator Installer Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do elevator installers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-4021; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-4021, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an elevator installer earn at each career stage?
Elevator pay follows apprenticeship progression and then licensure, with mechanics above helpers by a wide margin. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-4021.
By State
Which states pay elevator installers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Elevator work is unusually concentrated: most new installation is in metros with high-rise construction, and most states license elevator mechanics and require third-party inspection, which limits who can perform the work locally. Prevailing-wage rules on public buildings also apply to a meaningful share of the installation market.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($126,400), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay elevator installers the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an elevator installer’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does elevator installer pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Elevator Installers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify elevator installer wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an elevator installer actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Elevator Installer Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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