Skip to main content

Elevator Maintenance recruiters serving Chattanooga.

BLS counts 31 business locations of nonresidential building-equipment contractors across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.

Positions we recruit for in Chattanooga.

BLS counts about 310 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Chattanooga metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 170). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Elevator Maintenance hub.

Elevator Mechanic / Installer

Sample job description →

Chattanooga: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.

Elevator Service Technician

Elevator Maintenance Technician

QEI-Certified Inspector

Chattanooga: 170 employed · $55,620 median, 107th-highest of 112 metros

Escalator Technician

Elevator Modernization Technician

Elevator Project Manager

Chattanooga: 380 employed · $101,640 median, 95th-highest of 111 metros

Elevator Service Dispatcher / Coordinator

Chattanooga: 340 employed · $46,620 median, 88th-highest of 111 metros

Elevator Estimator

Chattanooga: 440 employed · $70,450 median, 101st-highest of 111 metros

Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician

Chattanooga: 140 employed · $64,010 median, 77th-highest of 107 metros

What Elevator Maintenance roles earn in Chattanooga.

BLS publishes no Chattanooga pay for elevator and escalator installers and repairers; nationally the median is $109,910. Construction and building inspectors in Chattanooga earn a median $55,620, 26% under the $74,690 national figure, and 107th of 112 metros. Pay runs $39,960 at the tenth percentile to $81,330 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $64,010 against $74,090 nationally. BLS withholds Chattanooga pay for one occupation in the table.

What these roles pay in Chattanooga
RoleChattanooga medianTypical rangeNational medianvs. nationalEmployed locally
Elevator Mechanic / Installer · Elevator Service Technician · Elevator Maintenance TechnicianElevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (47-4021)––$109,910––
QEI-Certified InspectorConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011)$55,620$39,960–$81,330$74,690−26%170
Elevator Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021)$101,640$62,390–$179,570$114,990−12%380
Elevator Service Dispatcher / CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032)$46,620$33,820–$63,110$50,340−7%340
Elevator EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051)$70,450$42,440–$106,190$78,740−11%440
Elevator Controls / Electronics TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094)$64,010$36,380–$81,350$74,090−14%140

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Chattanooga metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.

How Chattanooga's elevator maintenance market has changed since 2018.

The number of nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Chattanooga rose from 23 in 2018 to 31 in 2023, up 35%, ahead of the 8% national rise. BLS stops short of publishing headcount and pay for them here, which happens when a handful of firms account for most of the work.

Chattanooga, 2018 vs 2023
Measure20182023Change
Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: business locations2331+35%

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.

Local market detail

How Chattanooga's elevator maintenance market compares

31nonresidential building-equipment contractors in the metro
Tennessee metros we cover: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
MetroEmployedMedian payConcentrationCommercial employers
Nashville300$105,2901.7780
Memphis–––40
Knoxville–––38
Chattanooga–––31

BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.

Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Chattanooga metro. Employers are counted by business location.

Elevator Maintenance licensing in Tennessee.

Tennessee does not issue a state elevator mechanic or elevator constructor license for individuals. The state regulates the equipment through permits and required inspections, and it licenses the inspectors: inspections must be made by inspectors licensed under T.C.A. 68-121-110, who must obtain certification to the QEI standard within twelve months of licensure under Rule 0800-03-04-.07. Company-level licensing runs through the separate Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, which has classification BC-17 for elevators, escalators and dumbwaiters. When hiring a mechanic, screen on NEIEP or equivalent apprenticeship completion, union journeyman status and employer work history, and treat QEI as relevant only for inspector roles. The same state rules apply in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville, so candidates licensed there can work in Chattanooga without re-qualifying. The Chattanooga metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.

Licensing authority: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Elevator and Amusement Device Safety Unit. Confirm current rules with the agency.

Nearby markets competing for Chattanooga talent.

The closest metro we cover is Huntsville, about 75 miles away. BLS does not publish Chattanooga figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Atlanta has the largest pool within reach, about 510, and Nashville pays the most, a $105,290 median.

Elevator and escalator installers and repairers within 300 miles
MetroDistanceEmployedMedian pay
Chattanooga–––
Huntsville76 mi––
Knoxville101 mi––
Atlanta104 mi510$83,500
Nashville113 mi300$105,290
Birmingham135 mi90$103,700

BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.

MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, CHATTANOOGA

What else is competing for Chattanooga crews.

Not elevator maintenance work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Chattanooga in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.

  • Erlanger East Hospital expansion$122M
    Construction begins summer 2026, opening fall 2028

    A new three-story, 52,000 sq ft building on Gunbarrel Road adding 22 patient beds, a cardiac catheterization lab, an electrophysiology lab, and an interventional radiology lab, plus 100 new jobs.

  • Parkridge Medical Center expansion$98M
    Completing 2026

    A new patient tower with intensive care and medical-surgical rooms.

  • CommonSpirit Memorial Hospital (Ooltewah)Undisclosed
    Broke ground April 2026, opening spring 2027

    A 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital on Mountain View Road.

Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Chattanooga market page lists them all.

WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN THE HIRE, CHATTANOOGA

What credentials matter for elevator maintenance, and what kills offers in Chattanooga.

The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end an elevator maintenance offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Elevator Maintenance credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.

Frequently asked - Elevator Maintenance hiring in Chattanooga.

Which elevator maintenance roles pay the most in Chattanooga?

Of the roles we recruit for, Elevator Project Manager pays the most in Chattanooga, a $101,640 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician at $64,010, 37% below it. QEI-Certified Inspector is the lowest-paid field role at $55,620. QEI-Certified Inspector trails national pay the most (26% below).

How many nonresidential building-equipment contractors operate in Chattanooga?

BLS counted 31 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Chattanooga in 2023. Up from 23 in 2018, a 35% increase against 8% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. BLS counts elevator contractors under nonresidential building-equipment contractors.

Which nearby metros compete with Chattanooga for elevator and escalator installers and repairers?

The closest metros we cover with published figures are Atlanta (104 miles, about 510, $83,500 median), Nashville (113 miles, about 300, $105,290 median) and Birmingham (135 miles, about 90, $103,700 median).

Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.

31 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Chattanooga are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.

Schedule a Discovery Call →
Trade Talk A monthly hiring brief for commercial trades employers

What changed in your trade this month, and what to do about it.

One email a month, and only one. We write a separate issue for every trade we recruit in, so you get yours - not a round-up with your trade buried in paragraph nine. Every issue is written for the person actually doing the hiring.

  • Where wages moved in your trade, by market, and what that does to your next offer
  • How long roles like yours are taking to fill, and where it is getting worse
  • Interview and screening tactics that are landing candidates this month
  • What contractors competing for the same people are doing differently

Built on federal wage data, our own closed searches, and what we hear on the desk every week. Written for employers, not candidates. No pitch, no filler, one click to leave.

Pick your trade. That is the one issue you get, once a month.

One email a month. Your trade and your address, nothing else - we do not sell either, and you can unsubscribe from the bottom of any issue. Read this month's issue for your trade first →