How much do elevator installers make in New Jersey in 2026?

Elevator installers in New Jersey are among the highest-paid construction trades workers in the state. The median annual wage is $137,920, which works out to roughly $66.31 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number puts New Jersey elevator mechanics well above the national median for the trade and well above most other skilled trades in the state.

Pay spreads wide in this occupation. The 25th percentile sits at $125,040 a year, or about $60.12 an hour. That's where you find installers earlier in their careers, or those working fewer hours or in slower markets. The 75th percentile reaches $167,130 annually — roughly $80.35 an hour. Workers at that level typically combine years of verified field experience with consistent overtime and assignments on larger, more complex jobs. The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is more than $42,000 a year, so the decisions you make about experience, specialization, and hours have a real dollar impact.

New Jersey's construction market keeps elevator mechanics busy. The state has a dense concentration of high-rise residential buildings, hospitals, transit infrastructure, and commercial towers, particularly in Hudson County, Essex County, and along the Route 1 corridor. Workers based near Jersey City, Newark, or the Meadowlands tend to see more consistent commercial and high-rise work than those in more suburban or rural parts of the state. More complex jobs — escalators, hydraulic systems, machine-room-less traction units — typically command more from contractors and often translate into better assignments for experienced mechanics.

Overtime is a genuine factor in this trade. Elevator work can involve evening and weekend shutdowns when buildings need to stay operational during regular hours. Mechanics who are available for that work can push their actual annual earnings noticeably above their base rate. The BLS figure reflects straight-time wages and does not capture overtime premium pay, so take-home for active mechanics working a full schedule can exceed the reported median.

Licensing matters in New Jersey. The state requires elevator mechanics to hold a New Jersey Elevator Mechanic Certificate of Qualification issued by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. To sit for the exam, applicants generally need documented hours working under a licensed mechanic. Keeping your license current and adding endorsements — such as for limited-use or limited-application elevators — keeps you eligible for a broader range of jobs and can affect which employers can use you on permitted work.

Apprenticeship is the standard entry path. New Jersey has formal apprenticeship programs registered with the state that cover the multi-year training period required to become a journey-level mechanic. During apprenticeship, pay scales up in steps — early-period apprentices earn less than the figures above, while journey-level mechanics are the ones captured in the BLS median. Completing the apprenticeship and passing the state exam is the single biggest jump in both earning potential and job eligibility.

Some elevator mechanics in New Jersey work under collective bargaining agreements and some do not. Pay, benefits, and working conditions can vary between union and non-union settings. If you work under a collective bargaining agreement, your agreement sets the wage scale and fringe benefit package directly — check those terms with your local's business office rather than relying on BLS survey data, which blends both types of employment.

The BLS OEWS data used here is from the May 2025 survey. It covers wages paid to employees and does not include self-employed mechanics or owner-operators. Benefits — health insurance, pension contributions, annuity funds — are also not included in the wage figures, so total compensation for workers with strong benefit packages is higher than the numbers shown.