Maintenance Workers, Machinery vs Riggers: Similar Pay, -1.9% vs 3.9% Growth

Maintenance Workers, Machinery vs Riggers: what changes?

Consider Maintenance Workers, Machinery if you want to lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance. Consider Riggers if you would rather set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Maintenance Workers, Machinery and Riggers. 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 Workers, Machinery

National median pay (2025): $60,850
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: Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair, using hand tools, chain falls, jacks, cranes, or hoists.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 4,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 1.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Maintenance Workers, Machinery brief

Riggers

National median pay (2025): $62,640
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: Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,700

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (22,500 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Riggers brief

How the national numbers differ

Riggers has the edge on projected growth

Riggers is at 3.9% projected growth, compared with -1.9% projected growth for Maintenance Workers, Machinery.

Maintenance Workers, Machinery has the edge on annual openings

Maintenance Workers, Machinery is at 4,400 annual openings, compared with 1,700 annual openings for Riggers.

Typical preparation differs.

Maintenance Workers, Machinery: High school diploma or equivalent; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Riggers: 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.

Riggers has the edge on median pay

Riggers is at $62,640, compared with $60,850 for Maintenance Workers, Machinery.

42.3/ 100

Maintenance Workers, Machinery

52.1/ 100

Riggers

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 Workers, Machinery vs Riggers

Dimension	Maintenance Workers, Machinery	Riggers
Median pay (2025)	$60,850	$62,640
Pay percentile	49.5 percentile	52.6 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-1.9%	3.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	4,400	1,700
2025 employment	59,700	22,500
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	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	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 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	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 Maintenance Workers, Machinery brief Read Riggers brief

Maintenance Workers, Machinery vs Riggers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Maintenance Workers, Machinery

Riggers

How the national numbers differ

Riggers has the edge on projected growth

Maintenance Workers, Machinery has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

Riggers has the edge on median pay

Maintenance Workers, Machinery vs Riggers

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