TL;DR

About 5,730 musical instrument repairers and tuners nationally earn a mean of $48,935. Employment in the series shown rose about 22% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 7.8% annual growth.

Key Statistics

5,730
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$48,935
Average Salary

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners: what the data shows

Common questions about musical instrument repairers and tuners careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a musical instrument repairers and tuners?

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 49-9063.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 5,730 workers.

What does a musical instrument repairers and tuners do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a musical instrument repairers and tuners make?

BLS national median annual wage: $45,320 (May 2024 in our extract).

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$35,379
25th percentile$39,815
Median (50th)$46,634
75th percentile$53,525
90th percentile$63,774

What education do you need?

For Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Repairing, Troubleshooting, Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Fine Arts, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is musical instrument repairers and tuners in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: 45.5%.

Ten-year projected employment change: 111.7%.

Current U.S. headcount: 5,730.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do musical instrument repairers and tunerss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry5,73020.2%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only5,60019.7%
Retail Trade3,67012.9%
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers3,67012.9%
Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Retailers3,61012.7%
Other Services (except Public Administration)1,0603.7%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

What careers are related?

Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian wage
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers16,230$115,230
Hearing Aid Specialists10,580$61,560
Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other9,680$67,080

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners workforce.

Employment Over Time

5,730 Workforce in 2023

The Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$48,935 Average Wage

In 2023, Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners earned an average of $48,935.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Salary distribution for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Employment Growth Projections

7.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

2,415 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: 45.5%

3,514 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: 111.7%

This occupation is projected to grow at 7.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Wage Trends by Industry

-0.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Total, All Industry: 4.2% growth (Current: $52,437)

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 230 employees, $48,362 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 150 employees, $48,424 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 30 employees, $44,529 avg wage
  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 30 employees, $52,437 avg wage
  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 20 employees, $47,538 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Diversity

Demographic information on Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners in 2023 was 5,730 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.

Common majors for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners workers.

Education level distribution for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Skills

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners need many skills, but most especially Repairing, Troubleshooting, Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making.

Required skills for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners include Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Fine Arts, English Language, Administration and Management.

Knowledge areas required for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners include Hearing Sensitivity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision.

Required abilities for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

Daily Activities

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials.

Most important work activities for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners.

About

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

The average yearly wage for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners was $48,935 in 2023.

SOC Code

49-9063 - Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners reports an average salary of $48,935.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 5,730 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 7.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.