Contents
- Computer repair employment statistics: national workforce size and wages
- Computer repair employment statistics: projections and annual openings
- Computer repair employment statistics: industries employing repairers
- Computer repair employment statistics: wages in electronics and appliance stores
- Computer repair employment statistics: worker age and unemployment
- computer repair employment: Repair occupational requirements and work conditions relevant to computer repairers
- Sources
Computer repair employment statistics: national workforce size and wages
“Computer repairers” is often used as shorthand, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation measured here is computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers (SOC 49-2011). It covers repair work on several kinds of equipment, so its totals do not count laptop repairers alone. The National Employment Matrix lists 72.1 thousand employed in this occupation in 2025 and a median annual wage of $47,810. Both are national figures for the combined occupation. BLS National Employment Matrix, Table 1.2
A separate BLS program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), estimated 65,600 people employed in the occupation in May 2025 and reported an annual mean wage of $50,880. The Matrix and OEWS figures come from distinct statistical products. Their employment totals should not be read as consecutive observations in a single trend, and the wage measures are not interchangeable: the median identifies the midpoint of a wage distribution, while the mean is an average. BLS National Employment and Wage Data, May 2025; BLS National Employment Matrix, Table 1.2
| National measure | Estimate | Period and program |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 72.1 thousand | 2025 National Employment Matrix |
| Median annual wage | $47,810 | 2025 National Employment Matrix |
| Employment | 65,600 | May 2025 OEWS |
| Mean annual wage | $50,880 | May 2025 OEWS |
These measures provide two national views of the same broad occupation. Neither isolates computer-only or laptop-only repair jobs. Differences in estimates should be interpreted in light of the separate programs and their definitions rather than as evidence that employment changed between the reported figures. BLS National Employment Matrix, Table 1.2; BLS National Employment and Wage Data, May 2025
Computer repair employment statistics: projections and annual openings
The National Employment Matrix projects 69.9 thousand people employed in the occupation in 2035. It projects a 3.0 percent decline in employment from 2025 to 2035. These are projections for the full computer, automated teller, and office machine repairer occupation, not laptop repair alone. BLS National Employment Matrix, Table 1.2
The same table projects 6.1 thousand annual average occupational openings over 2025–35. Openings and employment change describe different aspects of the outlook: a projected decline in total employment can coexist with openings during the period. The openings figure is an annual average across the projection period, not a total for the entire period. BLS National Employment Matrix, Table 1.2
The Matrix also reports that 8.6 percent of workers in the occupation were self-employed in 2025. This is a worker characteristic accompanying the projection data. It does not identify the repair specialties handled by self-employed people or show how self-employment is distributed across industries. BLS National Employment Matrix, Table 1.2
| National Employment Matrix measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 69.9 thousand | 2035 projection |
| Employment change | -3.0 percent | 2025–35 projection |
| Annual average occupational openings | 6.1 thousand | 2025–35 projection |
| Self-employed | 8.6 percent | 2025 worker characteristic |
The projection concerns the occupation as classified, including automated teller and office machine repair. It should not be presented as a forecast for a narrower laptop-repair specialty. The annual openings measure is reported separately from the employment-change measure, so readers should retain both labels and their respective periods when describing the outlook. BLS National Employment Matrix, Table 1.2
Computer repair employment statistics: industries employing repairers
The May 2024 OEWS industry chart lists the industries with the highest reported employment of computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers. Electronics and appliance retailers employed 22,700 repairers; professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers employed 19,210; and electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance employed 11,000. These figures count people in the occupation within each named industry, not all employees of those industries. BLS, Industries with the Highest Employment Level by Occupation, May 2024
The chart also lists 3,480 repairers in computer systems design and related services and 2,570 in miscellaneous store retailers. The latter entry is specifically limited to NAICS 4594 and 4595 only. Building equipment contractors employed 1,140, and wholesale trade agents and brokers employed 1,070. BLS, Industries with the Highest Employment Level by Occupation, May 2024
Two further listed industries are computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing, with 880 repairers, and rental and leasing services, with 750. The rental and leasing entry covers NAICS 5322, 5323, and 5324 only. Because the chart shows the highest-employment industries rather than a complete distribution, these rows should not be treated as an exhaustive allocation of workers across all industries. BLS, Industries with the Highest Employment Level by Occupation, May 2024
| Industry listed in the May 2024 chart | Repairers employed |
|---|---|
| Electronics and appliance retailers | 22,700 |
| Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers | 19,210 |
| Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance | 11,000 |
| Computer systems design and related services | 3,480 |
| Miscellaneous store retailers (NAICS 4594 and 4595 only) | 2,570 |
| Building equipment contractors | 1,140 |
| Wholesale trade agents and brokers | 1,070 |
| Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing | 880 |
| Rental and leasing services (NAICS 5322, 5323, and 5324 only) | 750 |
The industry table helps show that this occupation appears in retail, wholesale, repair, design, contracting, manufacturing, and rental settings. The counts are tied to the May 2024 chart and its industry classifications; they do not identify the equipment repaired within each industry. BLS, Industries with the Highest Employment Level by Occupation, May 2024
Computer repair employment statistics: wages in electronics and appliance stores
For computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers working in electronics and appliance stores, 2025 OEWS data report a median hourly wage of $18.95 and a mean hourly wage of $21.54. Annual measures for the same occupation and industry are a median of $39,410 and a mean of $44,800. These estimates apply to workers in this particular industry, rather than the occupation nationally. BLS, Electronics and Appliance Stores: NAICS 443
The same source estimates that electronics and appliance stores employed 17,740 people in the occupation in 2025. Employment and wages are presented for the same industry and occupation, but the figures do not isolate laptop repair workers or describe wages in other repair settings. The hourly and annual wage measures retain the units reported by BLS. BLS, Electronics and Appliance Stores: NAICS 443
| Electronics and appliance stores measure | 2025 estimate |
|---|---|
| Employment | 17,740 |
| Median hourly wage | $18.95 |
| Mean hourly wage | $21.54 |
| Median annual wage | $39,410 |
| Mean annual wage | $44,800 |
The median and mean are separate summaries of wages, and the annual and hourly amounts are separate measures. Comparisons with the national estimates require keeping both the industry scope and the wage statistic in view. BLS, Electronics and Appliance Stores: NAICS 443; BLS National Employment and Wage Data, May 2025
Computer repair employment statistics: worker age and unemployment
Current Population Survey (CPS) household data estimate 125 thousand employed people in the occupation in 2024, with figures expressed in thousands. The median age of employed people was 43.3 years. Age-group employment estimates show 3 thousand people ages 16 to 19, 12 thousand ages 20 to 24, 30 thousand ages 25 to 34, and 27 thousand ages 35 to 44. BLS Current Population Survey, Table 11b, 2024 Annual Averages
For older age groups, the same annual-average table reports 24 thousand employed people ages 45 to 54, 17 thousand ages 55 to 64, and 11 thousand age 65 and over. The total and age-band figures are CPS estimates in thousands. The median age is a separate summary describing the midpoint age among employed people in the occupation. BLS Current Population Survey, Table 11b, 2024 Annual Averages
| Age group or measure | Employed people, 2024 annual average |
|---|---|
| Total, age 16 and over | 125 thousand |
| Median age | 43.3 years |
| 16 to 19 years | 3 thousand |
| 20 to 24 years | 12 thousand |
| 25 to 34 years | 30 thousand |
| 35 to 44 years | 27 thousand |
| 45 to 54 years | 24 thousand |
| 55 to 64 years | 17 thousand |
| 65 years and over | 11 thousand |
A separate CPS table reports a 6.1 percent unemployment rate for the occupation in 2025 annual averages. It lists 9 thousand unemployed people and a labor force of 141 thousand, with those levels expressed in thousands. These household-survey measures have their own population and period; they are not OEWS employer-survey employment estimates and should not be joined to the OEWS figures as a workforce trend. BLS Current Population Survey, Table 25b, 2025 Annual Averages
The age statistics refer to 2024 annual-average employment, while unemployment and labor-force measures refer to 2025 annual averages. Keeping these dates distinct matters when reading the tables together. All refer to the occupation as classified, not to laptop repairers alone. BLS Current Population Survey, Table 11b, 2024 Annual Averages; BLS Current Population Survey, Table 25b, 2025 Annual Averages
computer repair employment: Repair occupational requirements and work conditions relevant to computer repairers
The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) factsheet describes the broad installation, maintenance, and repair occupational group, which includes computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers. Its percentages are group-level findings, not computer-repair-specific estimates. In 2025, work was controlled by people for 88.9 percent of workers in the group, while work was self-paced for 5.4 percent. A varying work schedule applied to 53.5 percent. The ability to pause work and take brief unscheduled breaks was reported for 70.9 percent. BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
The factsheet reports working around crowds for less than 0.5 percent of the group and routine telework allowed for less than 0.5 percent. Supervising others was a requirement for 11.8 percent of workers; a supervisor was present in the immediate work area for 48.1 percent. These measures describe the broad occupational group and do not establish conditions in a particular computer repair job. BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
The group-level education and training figures indicate that prior work experience was required for 61.9 percent of workers in 2025 and on-the-job training for 76.5 percent. No minimum education was required for 33.6 percent, while a high school diploma was required for 59.4 percent. These are reported requirements across the installation, maintenance, and repair group; they do not establish a universal entry rule for computer repair. BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
Noise exposure was categorized as quiet for 2.1 percent, moderate for 91.7 percent, loud for 6.1 percent, and very loud for less than 0.5 percent of workers in the group in 2025. Personal protective equipment was used to mitigate noise exposure by 38.8 percent. The categories and group scope are those reported by the factsheet; they do not specify noise exposure in computer repair workplaces alone. BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
Physical-demand figures likewise describe the full group. Reaching at or below the shoulder was required for 98.5 percent of workers; it was occasionally required for 64.9 percent and frequently required for 30.1 percent. Performing work in low postures was required for 96.2 percent. These findings provide context about the larger occupational category, but do not describe the measured demands of every computer repair position. BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
Sources
- Occupational projections and worker characteristics, Table 1.2
- National employment and wage data by occupation, May 2025
- Industries with the highest employment level by occupation, May 2024
- Electronics and Appliance Stores: NAICS 443
- Employed persons by detailed occupation and age, 2024 annual averages, Table 11b
- Unemployment levels and rates by detailed occupation, 2025 annual averages, Table 25b
- Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations: Occupational Requirements Survey factsheet