Motor Vehicles Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers

OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin

Overview

Install, diagnose, or repair communications, sound, security, or navigation equipment in motor vehicles.

Explore Pathways

Titles for this career often contain these words

SOURCES:

2018 SOC codes

2020 CareerOneStop

25.2 O*NET

Fewer details

Responsibilities and activities

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers typically do the following:

Discuss problems and requirements with customers
Inspect and test equipment
Reproduce, isolate, and diagnose problems
Disassemble equipment as necessary to access problematic components
Clean, repair, and replace components
Reassemble and test equipment after repairs
Keep records of repairs, tests, parts, and labor hours

Modern manufacturing plants and transportation systems use a large amount of electrical and electronics equipment, from assembly line motors to sonar systems. Electrical and electronics installers and repairers fix and maintain these complex pieces of equipment.

Because automated electronic control systems are becoming more complex, repairers use software programs and testing equipment to diagnose malfunctions. Among their diagnostic tools are multimeters—which measure voltage, current, and resistance—and advanced multimeters, which measure the capacitance, inductance, and current gain of transistors.

Repairers also use signal generators, which provide test signals, and oscilloscopes, which display signals graphically. In addition, repairers often use hand tools such as pliers, screwdrivers, and wrenches to replace faulty parts and adjust equipment.

The following are examples of types of electrical and electronics installers and repairers:

Commercial and industrial electrical and electronics equipment repairers adjust, test, repair, or install electronic equipment, such as industrial controls, transmitters, and antennas.

Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers—such as armature winders, generator mechanics, and electric golf cart repairers—specialize in installing, maintaining, and repairing electric motors, wiring, or switches.

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers of transportation equipment install, adjust, or maintain mobile communication equipment, including sound, sonar, security, navigation, and surveillance systems on trains, watercraft, or other vehicles.

Electronic equipment installers and repairers of motor vehicles install, diagnose, and repair sound, security, and navigation equipment in motor vehicles. These installers and repairers work with a range of complex electronic equipment, including digital audio and video players, navigation systems, and passive and active security systems.

Powerhouse, substation, and relay electrical and electronics repairers inspect, test, maintain, or repair electrical equipment used in generating stations, substations, and in-service relays. These workers also may be known as powerhouse electricians, relay technicians, or power transformer repairers.

SOURCES:

2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook

Salary

Median salary: $39,570 annually

Half of those employed in this career earn between $32,880 and $48,750.

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

Context: Median Salary

How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

Fewer details

Salary growth for specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.

Experience quotient percentile

Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?

Salary distribution

Number employed

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

About Motor Vehicles Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers

How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.

Employee has health insurance

Employer is providing health insurance

Employer-provided pension plan is available

SOURCES:

2018-2020 CPS

2019 ACS microdata

Worker concerns

Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.

Exposed to Contaminants (96%)
Time Pressure (93%)
Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (57%)
Hazardous Equipment (49%)
Consequence of Error (44%)
Unpleasant or Angry People (37%)
High Conflict Frequency (35%)

SOURCES:

25.2 O*NET

Fewer details

Personality and skills

Can you see yourself in the ranks of Motor Vehicles Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.

Color vision

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers must be able to identify the color-coded components that are often used in electronic equipment.

Communication skills

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers work closely with customers, so they must listen to and understand customers’ descriptions of problems and explain solutions in a simple, clear manner.

Physical stamina

Some electrical and electronics installers and repairers must stand at their station for their full shift, which can be tiring.

Physical strength

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers may need to lift heavy parts during the repair process. Some components weigh over 50 pounds.

Technical skills

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers use a variety of mechanical and diagnostic tools to install or repair equipment.

Troubleshooting skills

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers must be able to identify problems with equipment and systems and make the necessary repairs.

SOURCES:

2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook

Injury and Illness

About 29 motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 58% of other careers.

All injuries and illnesses

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities

Education pathways to this career

Education attained by motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers typically hold a high school diploma or equivalent.

Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.

Details: Education and training recommended for motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers must understand electrical equipment and electronics. As a result, employers often prefer applicants who have taken courses in electronics at a community college or technical school. Courses usually cover AC and DC electronics, electronic devices, and microcontrollers. It is important for prospects to choose schools that include hands-on training in order to gain practical experience.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers

While certification is not required, a number of organizations offer it, and it can be useful in getting a job. For example, the Electronics Technicians Association International (ETA International) offers more than 50 certification programs in numerous electronics specialties for various levels of competency. The International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians (ISCET) also offers certification for several levels of competence. The ISCET focuses on a broad range of topics, including basic electronics, electronic systems, and appliance service. To become certified, applicants must meet prerequisites and pass a comprehensive exam.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Education level of Specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

Only 12% of specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Education attained by specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

None

High School

Some College

Associate's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Professional Degree

Doctorate

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Award levels

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Programs recommended by the Department of Education

The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click the program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.

Automotive Mechanics Technology

35,892

SOURCES:

2010 CIP Codes

Where are the jobs

State-by-state employment numbers

Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.

Select a state to see local area details

Number of Specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers per 1,000 workers (ACS)

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

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Job density versus job count

Which states hire the most motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.

Salaries by state

Let's get a feel for where motor vehicles electronic equipment installers and repairers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...

Median salary versus state ratio

We use two methods to compare salaries across states:

In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers.

We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.

The darkest shading corresponds to states in which specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.

Select a state to see local area details

Location-adjusted median salary for Specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (ACS for all specialties)

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

2019 BEA Regional Price Parities

Employment

5% of Specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers are working part time.

We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 5% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 77% of careers.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Employer types

This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.

Employers of undefined (ACS)

Private for-profit

Private not-for-profit

Local government

State government

Federal government

Self-employed incorporated

Self-employed not incorporated

Working without pay

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Comparing employment

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Distribution: Salaries of specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers by type of employer

Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Comparing employment

2019 ACS microdata

Gender

Specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers and gender

With 5% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 86% of careers.

Gender of Specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

Men (95%)

Women (5%)

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Distribution: salaries by gender

Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.

We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Context: Women in the workforce

How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Context: Salary inequity

The median salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%. The situation is a little better for specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers, with the median salary for men 15% higher than the median salary for women.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Race/Origin

Race and origin of Specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers.

Race/origin of specialized electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

White (79% )

Black (11% )

Other (4% )

Multiracial (2% )

Asian (2% )

Hispanic (1% )

American Indian (0% )

Pacific Islander (0% )

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Distribution: salaries by race/origin

Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.

We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata