Elevator Maintenance recruiters serving Richmond.
About 90 elevator and escalator installers and repairers work in the Richmond metro, at a $108,250 median. BLS counts 36 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 Richmond.
BLS counts about 1,440 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Richmond metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 1,140). Relative to the size of the local economy, elevator and escalator installers and repairers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.90). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Elevator Maintenance hub.
Elevator Mechanic / Installer
Sample job description →Richmond: 90 employed · $108,250 median, 25th-highest of 49 metros
Elevator Service Technician
Elevator Maintenance Technician
QEI-Certified Inspector
Richmond: 1,140 employed · $70,790 median, 55th-highest of 112 metros
Escalator Technician
Elevator Modernization Technician
Elevator Project Manager
Richmond: 1,270 employed · $110,350 median, 53rd-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Service Dispatcher / Coordinator
Richmond: 910 employed · $49,830 median, 45th-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Estimator
Richmond: 1,080 employed · $77,540 median, 62nd-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician
Richmond: 210 employed · $70,120 median, 57th-highest of 107 metros
What Elevator Maintenance roles earn in Richmond.
In the Richmond metro, the median wage for elevator and escalator installers and repairers is $108,250 a year, in line with the $109,910 national median. Most earn between $61,970 and $129,010. Of the other roles listed, construction and building inspectors earn the most locally, at a $70,790 median.
| Role | Richmond 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) | $108,250 | $61,970–$129,010 | $109,910 | −2% | 90 |
| QEI-Certified InspectorConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $70,790 | $49,580–$120,390 | $74,690 | −5% | 1,140 |
| Elevator Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $110,350 | $79,580–$191,940 | $114,990 | −4% | 1,270 |
| Elevator Service Dispatcher / CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $49,830 | $38,510–$69,140 | $50,340 | −1% | 910 |
| Elevator EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $77,540 | $48,520–$114,270 | $78,740 | −2% | 1,080 |
| Elevator Controls / Electronics TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $70,120 | $47,980–$86,170 | $74,090 | −5% | 210 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Richmond metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide.
How Richmond's elevator maintenance market has changed since 2018.
Richmond lost nonresidential building-equipment contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 39 business locations to 36 (down 8%), behind the 8% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 7%, to about 1,070 people. Average annual pay there went from $67,787 to $84,830 (+25%), faster than the 20% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: business locations | 39 | 36 | −8% |
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: employment | 1,150 | 1,070 | −7% |
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: average annual pay | $67,787 | $84,830 | +25% |
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
Richmond runs 10% fewer elevator maintenance workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. A thinner local pool means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep 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 Richmond's elevator maintenance market compares
Among the 47 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Richmond ranks 32nd for headcount, 25th for median pay and 34th for concentration for elevator and escalator installers and repairers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 90 | $108,250 | 0.90 | 36 |
| Virginia Beach | – | – | – | 29 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For elevator maintenance employers in Richmond, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Richmond metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Elevator Maintenance licensing in Virginia.
Virginia certifies elevator mechanics through the Board for Contractors. Applicants combine elevator experience with required training hours or complete a registered apprenticeship, and must pass the elevator mechanic exam; certified mechanics must complete eight hours of Board-approved continuing education. The same state rules apply in Virginia Beach, so candidates licensed there can work in Richmond without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Richmond talent.
The closest metro we cover is Virginia Beach, about 95 miles away. Baltimore pays the most nearby, a $122,690 median, 13% above Richmond. That is the number any Richmond offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Washington, D.C. has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | – | 90 | $108,250 |
| Virginia Beach | 95 mi | – | – |
| Washington, D.C. | 95 mi | 400 | $122,260 |
| Baltimore | 128 mi | 400 | $122,690 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 134 mi | – | – |
| Raleigh | 139 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
Frequently asked - Elevator Maintenance hiring in Richmond.
What do elevator and escalator installers and repairers earn in Richmond?
BLS puts the Richmond median for elevator and escalator installers and repairers at $108,250 a year, about the same as the $109,910 national median. That ranks 25th of 49 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $61,970 to $129,010 across the 10th to 90th percentile, so small differences in an offer are noticed.
Is it hard to hire elevator and escalator installers and repairers in Richmond?
It is about average. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers are as common in Richmond as they are nationally (location quotient 0.90), with about 90 in the metro. The 36 nonresidential building-equipment contractors here average about 30 employees per location.
Which elevator maintenance roles pay the most in Richmond?
Of the roles we recruit for, Elevator Project Manager pays the most in Richmond, a $110,350 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Elevator Mechanic / Installer at $108,250, 2% below it. Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $70,120. Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician trails national pay the most (5% below).
How many nonresidential building-equipment contractors operate in Richmond?
BLS counted 36 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Richmond in 2023, employing about 1,070 people between them. Down from 39 in 2018, a 8% decline against 8% growth nationally. That averages 30 people per location. They pay an average of $84,830, 12% below 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 Richmond for elevator and escalator installers and repairers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Washington, D.C. (95 miles, about 400, $122,260 median), Baltimore (128 miles, about 400, $122,690 median) and Philadelphia (207 miles, about 540, $132,640 median). Washington, D.C. has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Washington, D.C. pays 13% more, which is where Richmond employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
36 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Richmond are drawing on the same 90 elevator and escalator installers and repairers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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