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Career profile · 49-9012

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

Install, repair, and maintain mechanical regulating and controlling devices, such as electric meters, gas regulators, thermostats, safety and flow valves, and other mechanical governors.

What the work can involve

  • Record maintenance information, including test results, material usage, and repairs made.
  • Disassemble and repair mechanical control devices or valves, such as regulators, thermostats, or hydrants, using power tools, hand tools, and cutting torches.
  • Lubricate wearing surfaces of mechanical parts, using oils or other lubricants.

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

Preparation and entry routes

O*NET Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the 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

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

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

  • Mechanical
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Customer and Personal Service

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 Mechanical Equipment
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
  • 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
Contact With OthersConstant contact with others73.6%07/2017 · sample 33
Exposed to ContaminantsEvery day43.3%07/2017 · sample 33
Exposed to Disease or InfectionsNever63.0%07/2017 · sample 33
Exposed to Hazardous ConditionsEvery day55.6%07/2017 · sample 33
Spend Time SittingLess than half the time38.5%07/2017 · sample 30
Spend Time StandingMore than half the time47.1%07/2017 · sample 32
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or ControlsContinually or almost continually58.7%07/2017 · sample 32
Time PressureEvery day45.3%07/2017 · sample 33
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life JacketsEvery day97.0%07/2017 · sample 33
Work SchedulesRegular (established routine, set schedule)75.9%07/2017 · sample 33

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.

  • Analytical or scientific software: Emerson FIRSTVUE Value Sizing
  • Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access, Structured query language SQL
  • Development environment software: Ladder Logic
  • Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint
  • Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software: IBM Maximo Asset Management, SAP software
  • Graphical user interface development software: Graphical user interface GUI design software
  • Industrial control software: Programmable logic controller PLC software, Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software, Wonderware software
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
  • Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint

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 control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door

National median annual wage$74,340May 2025 · existing wage and salary workers
National median hourly wage$35.74May 2025 · where BLS publishes hourly pay
Middle 50% of annual wages$54,950–$97,12025th–75th percentile · not an entry-level pay range
Estimated employment48,240May 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+4.3%50,400 to 52,600 jobs
Projected openings per year3,600Annual average · growth plus replacement needs
Typical education for entry
High school diploma or equivalent
Related work experience
None
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-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 51 state/DC estimates
May 2025 cross-industry wage estimates for Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
StateAnnual medianHourly medianEmployment
Alabama$61,670$29.65430
Alaska$109,450$52.6230
Arizona$60,570$29.12840
Arkansas$61,440$29.54440
California$100,260$48.204,310
Colorado$63,770$30.661,190
Connecticut$104,690$50.33360
Delaware$75,720$36.40150
District of Columbia$98,810$47.5050
Florida$57,460$27.631,250
Georgia$61,070$29.36870
Hawaii$81,850$39.35110
Idaho$84,390$40.57180
Illinois$61,980$29.80250
Indiana$60,170$28.93760
Iowa$83,830$40.30820
Kansas$77,720$37.36290
Kentucky$61,450$29.54450
Louisiana$66,730$32.08560
Maine$66,240$31.85190
Maryland$66,500$31.97800
Massachusetts$95,520$45.931,320
Michigan$96,890$46.582,240
Minnesota$76,640$36.85710
Mississippi$48,670$23.40170
Missouri$77,650$37.33620
Montana$58,940$28.3450
Nebraska$88,610$42.60440
Nevada$72,310$34.7670
New Hampshire$61,380$29.51220
New Jersey$96,510$46.401,000
New Mexico$67,520$32.46320
New York$101,150$48.634,170
North Carolina$64,820$31.161,440
North Dakota$103,580$49.80270
Ohio$76,920$36.981,230
Oklahoma$62,780$30.181,320
Oregon$97,110$46.69490
Pennsylvania$78,120$37.561,330
Rhode Island$110,900$53.32110
South Carolina$50,800$24.42420
South Dakota$98,090$47.16150
Tennessee$57,010$27.41670
Texas$58,230$28.0011,630
Utah$73,090$35.14300
Vermont$82,010$39.4340
Virginia$68,000$32.69820
Washington$102,870$49.46450
West Virginia$79,000$37.98610
Wisconsin$76,540$36.80980
Wyoming$100,030$48.09290

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?
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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: 49-9012.00.

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