First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Home Appliance Repairers: $80K vs $51K Median Pay

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Home Appliance Repairers: what changes?

Consider First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers if you want to directly supervise and coordinate the activities of mechanics, installers, and repairers. Consider Home Appliance Repairers if you would rather repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers and Home Appliance Repairers. 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

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

National median pay (2025): $79,860
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 48,900

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers brief

Home Appliance Repairers

National median pay (2025): $50,990
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: Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,800

Know before you choose

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

See the full Home Appliance Repairers brief

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers is at 48,900 annual openings, compared with 2,800 annual openings for Home Appliance Repairers.

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers is at $79,860, compared with $50,990 for Home Appliance Repairers.

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers has the edge on projected growth

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers is at 4.1% projected growth, compared with 1.9% projected growth for Home Appliance Repairers.

Typical preparation differs.

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Home Appliance Repairers: 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 Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

71.2/ 100

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

44.3/ 100

Home Appliance Repairers

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

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Home Appliance Repairers

Dimension	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	Home Appliance Repairers
Median pay (2025)	$79,860	$50,990
Pay percentile	71.6 percentile	34.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4.1%	1.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	48,900	2,800
2025 employment	629,000	40,500
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	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
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

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

Read First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers brief Read Home Appliance Repairers brief

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Home Appliance Repairers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

Home Appliance Repairers

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Home Appliance Repairers

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