First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners: $80K vs $46K Median Pay

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners: 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 Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners if you would rather repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. 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 Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners. 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

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

National median pay (2025): $46,420
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: Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 600

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 Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners 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 600 annual openings for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

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 $46,420 for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

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 Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

71.2/ 100

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

27/ 100

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

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 Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

Dimension	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Median pay (2025)	$79,860	$46,420
Pay percentile	71.6 percentile	21.6 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4.1%	1.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	48,900	600
2025 employment	629,000	6,000
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	High 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 group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 3
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.	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.

Read First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers brief Read Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners brief

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

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

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers vs Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

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