What is the salary and career path for a facilities maintenance technician?
Facilities maintenance technicians are counted inside the broad code Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, SOC 49-9071, which also covers plant, hotel, school and apartment maintenance, so the figure spans a wide mix of settings. That code shows an OEWS May 2025 median of $49,590 a year ($23.84 an hour), from $35,350 at the 10th percentile to $77,180 at the 90th. There is no licence for the role itself; hiring rests on a high school diploma or equivalent plus demonstrated hands-on ability, with EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification legally required before handling refrigerants and a state electrical or boiler licence needed for some tasks. BLS projects 3.8% growth over 2024–2034 with roughly 159,800 openings a year — one of the largest annual opening counts of any maintenance occupation.
- Facilities Maintenance Technicians earn a national median $49,590/yr ($23.84/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9071); the top 10% clear $77,180.
- No licence governs the role itself, but EPA Section 608 certification is legally required before touching refrigerants.
- BLS projects 3.8% growth for general maintenance and repair workers 2024–34, with about 159,800 openings a year.
- The ladder runs helper to technician to lead building engineer to maintenance supervisor or facilities manager.
Career Path
How do you become a facilities maintenance technician?
Maintenance helper / porter
Filter changes, lamp and ballast replacement, minor repairs and PM rounds under supervision; pay starts near the $35,350 tenth percentile.
Facilities Maintenance Technician
Running corrective and preventive work orders across HVAC, plumbing, electrical and general trades, around the $49,590 median for SOC 49-9071.
Lead technician / building engineer
Owning a building's mechanical systems, holding refrigerant and often boiler or electrical credentials, toward the 75th percentile of $62,620.
Maintenance supervisor / facilities manager
Running the schedule, the budget and the vendor contracts for a site or portfolio reaches the 90th percentile at $77,180.
BLS Salary Data
Which state pays facilities maintenance technicians the most in 2026?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9071. National median: $49,590. Full salary guide →
Pay Comparison
How does facilities maintenance technician pay compare to related roles?
Head-to-head against the roles facilities maintenance technicians most often weigh against. BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Takeaway: facilities maintenance technicians rank 3 of 4 on median pay among the comparable roles above, with a projected +3.8% employment change 2024–34 (BLS Employment Projections). Pay position and projected demand together are what determine how quickly facilities maintenance technicians clear offers across the GlobalCybers placement network.
Methodology & Sources
How this guide is sourced and reviewed
Wages (BLS): All median and percentile figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9071 (facilities maintenance technicians) and the matching SOC codes for each comparison role. OEWS is sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection, so treat it as a firm anchor rather than a spot rate.
Job growth: Projected 2024–34 employment change, and the average annual openings figure, are from the BLS Employment Projections program, by occupation. Openings are a per-year average over the projection decade, not a decade total.
Licensing & credentials:Requirements are drawn from the issuing state licensing boards and the certifying body behind each credential — not from third-party aggregators.
Demand signal:Any statement about how quickly this role clears offers reflects GlobalCybers placement request volume across the trailing 12 months — our own network data, offered as a directional real-world indicator alongside BLS, not a market-wide survey.
Credentials
What licences and certifications do facilities maintenance technicians need?
Required by federal regulation under the Clean Air Act for anyone servicing refrigerant-containing equipment; issued by EPA-approved certifying organisations and does not expire. See all state licences →
Required in many states and cities before operating high-pressure boilers or central plant equipment; issued by state or municipal licensing boards.
Issued by BOMI International; the recognised building-systems credential for technicians moving toward building engineer roles.
Issued through the OSHA Outreach Training Program; commonly required by facility contracts, alongside lockout/tagout training under 29 CFR 1910.147.
Tools & Software
What tools and software do facilities maintenance technicians use on the job?
⚙️ Core Tools & Equipment
📊 BLS Employment Data, SOC 49-9071
Salary Levers
How do facilities maintenance technicians earn above the $49,590 BLS median?
Refrigerant, boiler and electrical licensure
Credentialed technicians move well past the $35,350 tenth percentile that general handyman roles pay
Industry setting — healthcare, data centre or pharma over retail
Critical-environment facilities pay a clear premium over commercial office and apartment maintenance
Building engineer duty and controls skill
Owning a site's mechanical plant and its automation system moves pay toward the $62,620 seventy-fifth percentile
Supervision and facilities management
Running crews, budgets and vendor contracts is what reaches the $77,180 top decile
This Route vs. College
Is becoming a facilities maintenance technician worth it vs. a 4-year degree?
The entry route into this role, set against a four-year degree. Same starting line, side by side.
Entry-level (10th percentile) and all-level median wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9071. Student-debt figure: median federal borrower balance for bachelor's-degree completers. Starting-salary comparison is illustrative and varies by field and region.
FAQ
Facilities Maintenance Technician Career, Frequently Asked Questions
Facilities Maintenance Technician career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring facilities maintenance technicians?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Facilities Maintenance Technician
Everything for facilities maintenance technicians in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full facilities maintenance technician cluster.