Elevator Maintenance recruiters serving New York.
New York has 125% more elevator and escalator installers and repairers per job than the country as a whole, about 3,270 in the metro. BLS counts 467 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 New York.
BLS counts about 14,910 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the New York metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 10,340). Relative to the size of the local economy, elevator and escalator installers and repairers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 2.25). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Elevator Maintenance hub.
Elevator Mechanic / Installer
Sample job description →New York: 3,270 employed · $136,000 median, 11th-highest of 49 metros
Elevator Service Technician
Elevator Maintenance Technician
QEI-Certified Inspector
New York: 10,340 employed · $90,800 median, 13th-highest of 112 metros
Escalator Technician
Elevator Modernization Technician
Elevator Project Manager
New York: 12,120 employed · $158,000 median, 4th-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Service Dispatcher / Coordinator
New York: 11,590 employed · $58,180 median, 7th-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Estimator
New York: 11,610 employed · $82,380 median, 21st-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician
New York: 1,300 employed · $76,190 median, 40th-highest of 107 metros
What Elevator Maintenance roles earn in New York.
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers in New York earn a median $136,000, 24% over the $109,910 national figure, and 11th of 49 metros. Pay runs $82,950 at the tenth percentile to $171,860 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is construction and building inspectors, at $90,800 against $74,690 nationally.
| Role | New York median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator Mechanic / Installer · Elevator Service Technician · Elevator Maintenance TechnicianElevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (47-4021) | $136,000 | $82,950–$171,860 | $109,910 | +24% | 3,270 |
| QEI-Certified InspectorConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $90,800 | $52,300–$135,450 | $74,690 | +22% | 10,340 |
| Elevator Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $158,000 | $91,740–$250,520 | $114,990 | +37% | 12,120 |
| Elevator Service Dispatcher / CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $58,180 | $39,970–$100,160 | $50,340 | +16% | 11,590 |
| Elevator EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $82,380 | $52,000–$150,690 | $78,740 | +5% | 11,610 |
| Elevator Controls / Electronics TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $76,190 | $51,460–$113,870 | $74,090 | +3% | 1,300 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, New York 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 New York's elevator maintenance market has changed since 2018.
New York lost nonresidential building-equipment contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 483 business locations to 467 (down 3%), behind the 8% growth nationally. Their combined payroll headcount barely moved, at about 9,653. Average annual pay there went from $101,412 to $123,080 (+21%), in step with the 20% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: business locations | 483 | 467 | −3% |
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: employment | 9,638 | 9,653 | +0% |
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: average annual pay | $101,412 | $123,080 | +21% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Elevator Maintenance hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Elevator Maintenance · 2026 Elevator Maintenance Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Elevator Maintenance
New York runs 125% more elevator maintenance workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How New York's elevator maintenance market compares
Among the 47 metros we cover with published BLS figures, New York ranks 1st for headcount, 11th for median pay and 6th for concentration for elevator and escalator installers and repairers. That puts it among the deepest elevator maintenance labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 3,270 | $136,000 | 2.25 | 467 |
| Syracuse | 130 | $126,630 | 2.86 | 22 |
| Albany | 90 | $121,470 | 1.33 | 21 |
| Buffalo | – | – | – | 30 |
| Rochester | – | – | – | 22 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For elevator maintenance employers in New York, the pool is deep but local employers have been cutting headcount. Experienced people are here, and some will be open to a move, so a clear offer and a defined path up usually beat a higher posted rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, New York metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Elevator Maintenance licensing in New York.
New York State licenses elevator mechanics, elevator contractors, inspectors and accessibility technicians. Applicants qualify through national certifications, registered apprenticeships or recognized training programs, and renewal requires state-approved continuing education. New York City's Department of Buildings runs its own elevator licensing, which the state has approved as equivalent. The same state rules apply in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Syracuse, so candidates licensed there can work in New York without re-qualifying. The New York metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: New York State Department of Labor. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed an elevator maintenance search in New York yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in New York than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Service TechnicianTwo months to find a technician who could run commercial, public and industrial service calls alone - the seniority bar is what made it long.
- HVAC Service TechnicianFifteen years across VRV/VRF, rooftop units and controls integration.
- HVAC Service TechnicianA second seat for the same contractor, filled with a strong diagnostician earlier in his independent career.
Nearby markets competing for New York talent.
The closest metro we cover is Bridgeport, about 55 miles away. New York pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($136,000 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Philadelphia at $132,640. New York is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | – | 3,270 | $136,000 |
| Bridgeport | 53 mi | – | – |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 78 mi | – | – |
| Philadelphia | 81 mi | 540 | $132,640 |
| Scranton | 99 mi | – | – |
| Hartford | 100 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for New York crews.
Not elevator maintenance work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into New York in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- JFK Airport Terminal 6 + Terminal 1 redevelopment$13-14B combinedThrough 2030
Massive MEP scope across both terminals. Airport-grade mechanical, electrical, baggage systems. Multi-year crew demand for senior trades.
- Penn Station / Moynihan area expansion$7B+Through 2032
Tunnel work, high-density commercial mechanical, public transit MEP.
- LaGuardia Airport rebuild$4-5.3BCompleted January 2025
Now complete - a historical example of the mechanical and finish trades capacity this metro delivers under a project labor agreement, not an active current driver.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The New York market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for elevator maintenance, and what kills offers in New York.
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 New York.
What do elevator and escalator installers and repairers earn in New York?
BLS puts the New York median for elevator and escalator installers and repairers at $136,000 a year, 24% above the $109,910 national median. That ranks 11th of 49 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $82,950 at the 10th percentile against $171,860 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. No other New York metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire elevator and escalator installers and repairers in New York?
Not by national standards. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers make up 125% more of the New York workforce than they do nationally, about 3,270 people. The 467 nonresidential building-equipment contractors here average about 21 employees per location.
Which elevator maintenance roles pay the most in New York?
Of the roles we recruit for, Elevator Project Manager pays the most in New York, a $158,000 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Elevator Mechanic / Installer at $136,000, 14% below it. Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $76,190. Relative to national pay, Elevator Project Manager is the strongest-paying role here (37% above).
How many nonresidential building-equipment contractors operate in New York?
BLS counted 467 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in New York in 2023, employing about 9,653 people between them. Down from 483 in 2018, a 3% decline against 8% growth nationally. That averages 21 people per location. They pay an average of $123,080, 28% above the $96,086 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts elevator contractors under nonresidential building-equipment contractors.
Which nearby metros compete with New York for elevator and escalator installers and repairers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Philadelphia (81 miles, about 540, $132,640 median), Albany (135 miles, about 90, $121,470 median) and Baltimore (169 miles, about 400, $122,690 median). New York out-pays Albany and Baltimore, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
New York has one of the deeper pools of elevator and escalator installers and repairers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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