Elevator Maintenance recruiters serving Seattle.
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers in Seattle earn a $138,880 median, 26% above the national figure, and about 290 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 117 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 Seattle.
BLS counts about 2,840 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Seattle metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 1,640). Relative to the size of the local economy, elevator and escalator installers and repairers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.91). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Elevator Maintenance hub.
Elevator Mechanic / Installer
Sample job description →Seattle: 290 employed · $138,880 median, 8th-highest of 49 metros
Elevator Service Technician
Elevator Maintenance Technician
QEI-Certified Inspector
Seattle: 1,640 employed · $102,830 median, 4th-highest of 112 metros
Escalator Technician
Elevator Modernization Technician
Elevator Project Manager
Seattle: 4,010 employed · $159,430 median, 3rd-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Service Dispatcher / Coordinator
Seattle: 2,950 employed · $59,340 median, 3rd-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Estimator
Seattle: 4,340 employed · $94,490 median, 5th-highest of 111 metros
Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician
Seattle: 910 employed · $109,570 median, 2nd-highest of 107 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Winston-Salem, NC too.
What Elevator Maintenance roles earn in Seattle.
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers in Seattle earn a median $138,880, 26% over the $109,910 national figure, and 8th of 49 metros. Pay runs $76,590 at the tenth percentile to $162,920 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment, at $109,570 against $74,090 nationally.
| Role | Seattle 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) | $138,880 | $76,590–$162,920 | $109,910 | +26% | 290 |
| QEI-Certified InspectorConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $102,830 | $65,320–$120,970 | $74,690 | +38% | 1,640 |
| Elevator Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $159,430 | $109,800–$221,370 | $114,990 | +39% | 4,010 |
| Elevator Service Dispatcher / CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $59,340 | $46,990–$91,900 | $50,340 | +18% | 2,950 |
| Elevator EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $94,490 | $62,020–$152,220 | $78,740 | +20% | 4,340 |
| Elevator Controls / Electronics TechnicianElectrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment (49-2094) | $109,570 | $80,000–$122,440 | $74,090 | +48% | 910 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Seattle 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 Seattle's elevator maintenance market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Seattle rose from 108 in 2018 to 117 in 2023, up 8%, close to the 8% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 7%, to about 1,831 people. Average annual pay there went from $97,353 to $114,055 (+17%), in step with the 20% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: business locations | 108 | 117 | +8% |
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: employment | 1,710 | 1,831 | +7% |
| Nonresidential building-equipment contractors: average annual pay | $97,353 | $114,055 | +17% |
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
Seattle runs 9% fewer elevator maintenance workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job 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 Seattle's elevator maintenance market compares
Among the 47 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Seattle ranks 18th for headcount, 8th for median pay and 33rd for concentration for elevator and escalator installers and repairers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 290 | $138,880 | 0.91 | 117 |
| Spokane | 60 | $138,100 | 1.41 | 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 Seattle, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Seattle metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Elevator Maintenance licensing in Washington.
Washington issues a general elevator mechanic license and several specialty licenses. The general license requires at least three years or 5,400 hours of verified experience plus qualifying education and a national exam, NEIEP or an equivalent plus the national exam, or a registered apprenticeship. The same state rules apply in Spokane, so candidates licensed there can work in Seattle without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed an elevator maintenance search in Seattle 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 Seattle than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Service Operations CoordinatorA lead dispatcher used to 20-25 technicians and 75 calls a day, placed in eight days.
- Commercial SuperintendentTwenty-five years of ground-up commercial leadership, placed in two weeks.
- Construction SuperintendentTenant-improvement and renovation leadership, including prevailing-wage public work.
Nearby markets competing for Seattle talent.
The closest metro we cover is Portland, about 145 miles away, with roughly 240 elevator and escalator installers and repairers (0.8 times Seattle's 290). Seattle pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($138,880 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Spokane at $138,100. Seattle is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
What else is competing for Seattle crews.
Not elevator maintenance work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Seattle in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Sound Transit ST3 light-rail expansion$185B+ (revised from the original 2016 $54B estimate)Phased through 2044
Largest transit expansion in the region's history. Heavy civil, tunneling, stations, systems + traction power. Multi-year demand for civil crews, high-voltage electricians, and transit-experienced supers.
- Providence Swedish North Tower + UW Medicine hospital expansions$1.3B (Providence Swedish North Tower); UW Medicine's piece is a one-year feasibility study announced July 2026 with no disclosed cost, funding, or scheduleNorth Tower targeting 2027
Providence Swedish, and eventually UW Medicine pending its feasibility study, drive steady healthcare mechanical, med-gas, and specialty MEP demand across the metro.
- Seattle Convention Center Summit + downtown commercial~$2BSummit building completed January 2023; adjacent downtown towers ongoing
The Summit building itself is already open -- current demand is from adjacent downtown towers and commercial work, not the convention center build-out itself. Large-scale commercial MEP, curtain wall, and envelope work in a dense urban core.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Seattle market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for elevator maintenance, and what kills offers in Seattle.
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 Seattle.
What do elevator and escalator installers and repairers earn in Seattle?
BLS puts the Seattle median for elevator and escalator installers and repairers at $138,880 a year, 26% above the $109,910 national median. That ranks 8th of 49 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $76,590 at the 10th percentile against $162,920 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. No other Washington metro we cover pays more for this work (Spokane: $138,100).
Is it hard to hire elevator and escalator installers and repairers in Seattle?
It is about average. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers are as common in Seattle as they are nationally (location quotient 0.91), with about 290 in the metro. The 117 nonresidential building-equipment contractors here average about 16 employees per location.
Which elevator maintenance roles pay the most in Seattle?
Of the roles we recruit for, Elevator Project Manager pays the most in Seattle, a $159,430 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Elevator Mechanic / Installer at $138,880, 13% below it. QEI-Certified Inspector is the lowest-paid field role at $102,830. Relative to national pay, Elevator Controls / Electronics Technician is the strongest-paying role here (48% above).
How many nonresidential building-equipment contractors operate in Seattle?
BLS counted 117 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Seattle in 2023, employing about 1,831 people between them. Up from 108 in 2018, an 8% increase against 8% growth nationally. That averages 16 people per location. They pay an average of $114,055, 19% 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 Seattle for elevator and escalator installers and repairers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Portland (145 miles, about 240, $138,600 median) and Spokane (228 miles, about 60, $138,100 median).
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
117 nonresidential building-equipment contractors in Seattle are drawing on the same 290 elevator and escalator installers and repairers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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