Maintenance workers are paid through a mix of basic pay, experience allowance, and other allowances. Until the year 2025, such professionals have quite varying salaries based on specialization, area, and sector industry, and overall packages both including the benchmark wage rates as well as additional monetary incentive benefits.
Average annual salary for maintenance workers
The median yearly wages of general maintenance workers in the United States is $38,100 to $60,000, with a national median of $48,000. Specialist positions, however, are more lucrative. Building maintenance workers, for example, make a median of $59,200 a year, while highway maintenance workers make approximately $54,400. Maintenance technicians—a position requiring more sophisticated technical abilities—bring in a higher median of $70,056, with typical pay ranging from $61,901 to $79,312. These differences underscore the influence of job complexity on pay, given that technicians are more likely to fix advanced equipment and diagnose systems.
Ground maintenance staff, specialists in landscaping and outdoor facilities, earn relatively less. In U.S. Facilities, Inc., for instance, their median monthly earnings are $2,702 (or roughly $32,424 per year), 22% lower than the national median earnings for comparable jobs. The difference indicates the effect of work scope on pay, where technical and indoor jobs typically higher earning than outdoor employment.
Hourly wage breakdown
Hourly wages give a more precise look at earning levels. General maintenance laborers earn between $11.90 and $22.09 an hour, on average $15.00 an hour. PayScale’s higher average hourly rate is $18.31 an hour, with overtime and bonus included. Starting workers with less than a year of experience make $13.88 an hour. Workers with 1–4 years’ experience start making $16.11. Grounds maintenance hourly wages at U.S. Facilities, Inc., are from $17 to $24 but are still short of the national median.
Yearly earnings benefit greatly from the potential for overtime. For example, maintenance workers who put in 10 hours of overtime each week at the median hourly pay potentially could boost their earnings as much as $11,700. Technicians, who sometimes must be available to make out-of-hours emergency calls, overwhelmingly receive more overtime benefit because the base pay is higher.
Allowances and supplemental compensation
Apart from basic wages, maintenance workers also typically have allowances that top up their overall compensation. Federal workers in maintenance positions are entitled to locality pay adjustments, which boost salaries by 1.7% in 2025 to reflect differences in local cost of living. For example, a maintenance technician in a high-cost location such as San Francisco may earn 5–10% more than his or her counterpart in a rural location.
Bonuses and sharing-profit schemes are also part of total income. PayScale statistics show yearly bonuses ranging from $108 to $32,000 for maintenance staff, with manufacturing and tourism firms having performance-incentive offers common. Employees who belong to unions typically also receive other added benefits such as health insurance coverage, retirement additions, and vacation pay for training. For instance, federal maintenance positions involve entry into the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and matching contributions to Thrift Savings Plan.
Regional and industry variations
Location is an important factor for geography. Maintenance workers in big cities such as New York or Los Angeles make 15–20% more than workers who labor in smaller towns due to higher living expenses and a need for skilled laborers. Rural areas, however, will pay lower wages but compensate with housing stipends or little to no overtime demands.
Industry sector further determines pay scales. Government-employed maintenance staff, especially those working federal jobs, have organized pay grades and yearly increases. The 2025 federal pay scale establishes the lowest yearly rate of $38,100 as an entry point, which is close to the low end of the range of the private sector. Conversely, highly compensating industries like aerospace and manufacturing provide highest rates, with plane maintenance staff earning $62,100 a year.
Private firms are also permitted to give non-monetary allowances, e.g., tool reimbursements, uniforms, or company vehicles. For instance, U.S. Facilities, Inc., offers $21–$24 an hour for bridge maintenance work, including equipment allowances.
