Maintenance and Repair Workers, General vs Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians: $50K vs $58K Median Pay

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General vs Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians: what changes?

Consider Maintenance and Repair Workers, General if you want to perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair. Consider Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians if you would rather repair and adjust electrical and mechanical equipment of inboard or inboard-outboard boat engines. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General and Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians. 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

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

National median pay (2025): $49,590
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: Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 148,700

Know before you choose

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

See the full Maintenance and Repair Workers, General brief

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians

National median pay (2025): $57,550
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than 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 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Start motors and monitor performance for signs of malfunctioning, such as smoke, excessive vibration, or misfiring.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,600

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians brief

How the national numbers differ

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General has the edge on annual openings

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General is at 148,700 annual openings, compared with 2,600 annual openings for Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians.

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians has the edge on median pay

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians is at $57,550, compared with $49,590 for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General.

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians is at 4.9% projected growth, compared with 4.2% projected growth for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General.

61.7/ 100

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

49/ 100

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians

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

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General vs Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians

Dimension	Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
Median pay (2025)	$49,590	$57,550
Pay percentile	31 percentile	42.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4.2%	4.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	148,700	2,600
2025 employment	1,621,800	25,000
How you qualify	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	High school diploma or equivalent; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than 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 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General brief Read Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians brief

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General vs Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians

How the national numbers differ

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General has the edge on annual openings

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians has the edge on median pay

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General vs Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians

Try another comparison

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General vs Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians vs Mechanical Door Repairers

Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians vs Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles