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Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door vs Millwrights: what changes?

Consider Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door if you want to install, repair, and maintain mechanical regulating and controlling devices, such as electric meters, gas regulators, thermostats, safety and flow valves, and other mechanical governors. Consider Millwrights if you would rather install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door and Millwrights. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

National median pay (2025)
$74,340
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Record maintenance information, including test results, material usage, and repairs made.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
3,600
Know before you choose

Hands-on manipulation of tools, controls, or objects occupies a meaningful part of the workday.

See the full Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door brief

Millwrights

National median pay (2025)
$65,700
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate
Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
3,200
Know before you choose

The usual entry route includes an apprenticeship. Interest in the subject is not a substitute for supervised, paid training.

See the full Millwrights brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door has the edge on projected growth

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door is at 4.3% projected growth, compared with 0.9% projected growth for Millwrights.

2

Typical preparation differs.

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Millwrights: High school diploma or equivalent; Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

3

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door has the edge on median pay

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door is at $74,340, compared with $65,700 for Millwrights.

4

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door has the edge on annual openings

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door is at 3,600 annual openings, compared with 3,200 annual openings for Millwrights.

56/ 100

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

vs
50.2/ 100

Millwrights

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door vs Millwrights

DimensionControl and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical DoorMillwrights
Median pay (2025)$74,340$65,700
Pay percentile64 percentile57.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)4.3%0.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)3,6003,200
2025 employment50,40040,700
How you qualifyHigh school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensingHigh school diploma or equivalent; Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 3Job Zone 2
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingMore than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.