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Career profile · 49-2011

Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers

Repair, maintain, or install computers, word processing systems, automated teller machines, and electronic office machines, such as duplicating and fax machines.

What the work can involve

  • Travel to customers' stores or offices to service machines or to provide emergency repair service.
  • Reassemble machines after making repairs or replacing parts.
  • Advise customers concerning equipment operation, maintenance, or programming.
  • Maintain parts inventories and order any additional parts needed for repairs.
  • Converse with customers to determine details of equipment problems.
  • Disassemble machines to examine parts, such as wires, gears, or bearings for wear or defects, using hand or power tools and measuring devices.

Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.

Preparation and entry routes

O*NET Job Zone 2: Some preparation

This broad O*NET group commonly involves some prior preparation and on-the-job learning. Check the specific employer, occupational credential and state requirements.

Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.

Understand the different credentials →

Skills used in this occupation

  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Learning

Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.

Knowledge to build

  • Computers and Electronics
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Mechanical
  • English Language
  • Engineering and Technology

Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.

Common work activities

  • Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Working with Computers
  • Getting Information

Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.

Training subjects to investigate

The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.

Working conditions to consider

These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.

Work-setting questionMost common responseShare giving that response
Exposed to Disease or InfectionsNever85.0%07/2015 · sample 24
Exposed to Hazardous ConditionsNever37.2%07/2015 · sample 24
Spend Time SittingNever39.6%07/2015 · sample 24
Spend Time StandingContinually or almost continually40.0%07/2015 · sample 24
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or ControlsContinually or almost continually70.9%07/2015 · sample 24
Time PressureEvery day64.0%07/2015 · sample 24
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life JacketsNever53.5%07/2015 · sample 24
Work SchedulesRegular (established routine, set schedule)82.0%07/2015 · sample 24

O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.

Software used in the workplace

Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.

  • Calendar and scheduling software: Scheduling software
  • Cloud-based management software: IBM WebSphere
  • Configuration management software: Symantec Altiris Deployment Solution
  • Data base user interface and query software: Database software, Microsoft Access, ServiceNow, Structured query language SQL
  • Document management software: Adobe Acrobat
  • Electronic mail software: Email software, IBM Notes, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook
  • Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML, Extensible stylesheet language XSL
  • Filesystem software: Symantec Norton Utilities
  • Graphics or photo imaging software: McNeel Rhinoceros 3D
  • Helpdesk or call center software: Call tracking software
  • Internet browser software: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Web browser software
  • Internet directory services software: Microsoft Active Directory

Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.

Pay & employment outlook

Salary estimates for computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers

National median annual wage$47,810May 2025 · existing wage and salary workers
National median hourly wage$22.99May 2025 · where BLS publishes hourly pay
Middle 50% of annual wages$38,900–$59,87025th–75th percentile · not an entry-level pay range
Estimated employment65,600May 2025 · excludes self-employed workers

The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.

National outlook: 2025–2035

Projected employment change-3%72,100 to 69,900 jobs
Projected openings per year6,100Annual average · growth plus replacement needs
Typical education for entry
Some college, no degree
Related work experience
None
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.

Compare wages across 50 state/DC estimates
May 2025 cross-industry wage estimates for Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers
StateAnnual medianHourly medianEmployment
Alabama$39,970$19.22930
Alaska$46,680$22.44170
Arizona$49,620$23.861,000
Arkansas$45,970$22.10560
California$58,280$28.027,250
Colorado$49,650$23.87880
Connecticut$61,190$29.42380
Delaware$51,550$24.78250
Florida$45,690$21.973,470
Georgia$45,390$21.822,330
Hawaii$49,270$23.69110
Idaho$39,190$18.84180
Illinois$44,860$21.573,260
Indiana$46,170$22.202,140
Iowa$47,330$22.76420
Kansas$44,290$21.29570
Kentucky$47,070$22.631,440
Louisiana$50,150$24.11900
Maine$49,610$23.85290
Maryland$54,120$26.02960
Massachusetts$57,270$27.541,350
Michigan$47,570$22.871,660
Minnesota$50,540$24.301,720
Mississippi$42,920$20.64490
Missouri$44,080$21.191,090
Montana$48,820$23.47160
Nebraska$46,890$22.54640
Nevada$38,430$18.47410
New Hampshire$60,570$29.12260
New Jersey$57,330$27.562,190
New Mexico$43,330$20.83330
New York$57,290$27.543,240
North Carolina$46,890$22.553,160
North Dakota$58,720$28.23160
Ohio$47,740$22.952,040
Oklahoma$51,880$24.94780
Oregon$46,950$22.571,050
Pennsylvania$47,920$23.042,390
Rhode Island$49,700$23.8970
South Carolina$39,060$18.78680
South Dakota$59,700$28.70300
Tennessee$42,330$20.351,110
Texas$45,480$21.877,140
Utah$41,810$20.10570
Vermont$53,610$25.7780
Virginia$44,750$21.511,530
Washington$49,050$23.582,010
West Virginia$38,720$18.61370
Wisconsin$47,690$22.931,010
Wyoming$47,480$22.8370

Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages

Search the 246 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.

Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.

Compare the route and prepare for work

Questions to test the fit

  1. What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
  2. Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
  3. What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
  4. Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
  5. How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Use the career-change checklist →

Related occupations to compare

Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.

Sources and attribution

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 49-2011.00.

Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.