Appliance Repair Technicians in the Trenton area earn a median of $86,940 a year, 72% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #1 of 125 metros for appliance repair technician salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Philadelphia.
It's the only New Jersey metro with published pay for this trade; see appliance repair technician pay in New Jersey, including rural areas.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for appliance repair technicians here is in the top 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (5.3%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.3% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 22 one-person appliance repair businesses averaging $51,409 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $99/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Trenton scorecard for appliance repair technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Trenton with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($50,540).
Compared with nearby metros
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among appliance repair technicians in Trenton.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What the pay is really worth in Trenton Our calculation
Prices in the Trenton area run 3% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $84,261 would in a typical place, ranking #3 of 125 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a Trenton budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What appliance repair technicians do
Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
- Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
- Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
- Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting manuals to diagnose and repair problems.
- Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, appliance repair technician jobs are projected to grow 1.9% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 2,800 openings a year. About 20% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often appliance repair technicians deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in New Jersey Official source
The main state licensing office in New Jersey is the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. It can point you to the right license for appliance repair technicians.
Official New Jersey licensing site ↗
Requirements for appliance repair technicians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, appliance repair technicians have 327 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 3.8× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Trenton area's unemployment rate was 5.3% in 2025 (all workers, not just appliance repair technicians), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Trenton area is 27 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 17% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 62% drive alone, 4% take transit and 15% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Trenton area's population grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025 (386,434 → 399,289), ranking #155 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +8,751) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Trenton
The Trenton area has about 152,264 homes. 62% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 7% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 62% of households own their home, and the median home value is $436,500.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Trenton are up 114% from 2021 to 2025 (544 → 1,164).
In 2025 the Trenton area approved permits for 1,164 new homes (805 single-family), or 3.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #223 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 22 one-person businesses (no employees) in appliance repair, averaging $51,409 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Trenton compares among the best cities to start an appliance repair technician business.
They compete with 4 appliance repair companies that have employees (about 33 workers in total).
Where to train near Trenton Government data
6 schools in or near Trenton offer electrical and electronics repair programs below the bachelor's level, 5 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortis Institute-Lawrenceville Lawrenceville, NJ · Private for-profit | Certificate | $27,219 | 26 | $41,540 |
| Burlington County Institute of Technology-Adult Education Westampton, NJ · Public | Certificate | $19,240 | 13 | — |
| Bucks County Community College Newtown, PA · Public | Certificate | $11,355 | 2 | — |
| Brookdale Community College Lincroft, NJ · Public | Certificate | $19,131 | 0 | — |
| Mercer County Community College West Windsor, NJ · Public | Associate degree | $13,591 | 0 | — |
| Ocean County Vocational-Technical School Toms River, NJ · Public | Certificate | $17,513 | 0 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $86,940 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get appliance repair technician pricing & estimate templates →Compare Trenton with another city →
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ToolBest cities for appliance repair techniciansRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in TrentonSee where it falls among local appliance repair technicians, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolTrenton budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Trenton metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Trenton against every other metro for appliance repair technicians. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.