How much do elevator installers make in Massachusetts in 2026?

Elevator installers in Massachusetts earn a median annual salary of $138,420, which works out to $66.55 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That figure puts Massachusetts elevator mechanics among the highest-paid trades workers in the country. The numbers come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025.

The full spread tells you a lot about where you might land depending on experience and employer. Workers at the 25th percentile — newer journeymen, those in smaller markets, or those with less specialization — earn around $83,020 per year, or roughly $39.91 per hour. The 75th percentile sits at $153,760 annually, about $73.92 per hour. That top-quartile number represents experienced mechanics working on complex commercial or high-rise systems, often in Boston or other dense metro areas.

The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is over $70,000 a year. That is not noise — it reflects real differences in what this trade rewards. Experience matters enormously here. So does the type of equipment you work on. A mechanic who primarily handles residential elevators in suburban markets will not see the same rates as one troubleshooting and maintaining traction elevator systems in downtown Boston high-rises or hospital complexes.

Geography within Massachusetts shapes pay as well. Greater Boston is the dominant driver of demand and wage levels in this state. The MBTA, Logan Airport, Longwood Medical Area, and the ongoing wave of commercial and residential tower development in Seaport and Back Bay all generate steady, well-paid work. Markets like Springfield or Cape Cod exist, but the volume and complexity of work — and the corresponding pay — skews heavily toward the eastern part of the state.

Overtime is a real part of the picture for many elevator mechanics. Service calls don't always happen during business hours. Emergency maintenance, code inspections, and modernization projects can push hours well beyond 40 per week. At a median base rate of $66.55 per hour, overtime at time-and-a-half runs $99.83 per hour. That can add tens of thousands of dollars to annual earnings for mechanics who want the hours.

The job itself requires state licensure in Massachusetts. The Division of Occupational Licensure issues Hoisting Machine Operator and Elevator Constructor licenses, and keeping them current is not optional — it is a legal requirement to work on the equipment. Apprentices typically come up through a four-year program covering hydraulic, traction, and machine-room-less systems, plus escalators and moving walks. The breadth of equipment knowledge you carry out of a completed apprenticeship directly affects how quickly you move toward that top-quartile number.

No union scale data is available for this specific trade and state in our current dataset. Workers should confirm prevailing wage rates on public projects directly with the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards, as public works jobs can carry wage schedules that differ from private-sector agreements.

The bottom line: Massachusetts is one of the better states in the country to work as an elevator mechanic. A median wage of $138,420 — $66.55 an hour — with a clear path to $153,760 and above for experienced mechanics makes this trade worth serious consideration for anyone weighing skilled trades career options.