Appliance Repair Technicians in the Canton area earn a median of $44,900 a year, 11% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #110 of 125 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, but less in Akron.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for appliance repair technicians here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.9%) and the population is shrinking (-0.2% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 35 one-person appliance repair businesses averaging $47,629 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $62/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Canton scorecard for appliance repair technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Canton 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).
Pay over time
The median pay for appliance repair technicians in the Canton area went from $37,280 in 2020 to $44,900 in 2025, up 20.4%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -3.9% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Canton Our calculation
Prices in the Canton area run 11% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $50,220 would in a typical place, ranking #88 of 125 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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 Ohio Official source
The main state licensing office in Ohio is the Ohio Department of Commerce. Home of the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board. It can point you to the right license for appliance repair technicians.
Official Ohio 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).
Highest-paying OH metros for appliance repair technicians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ToledoOHIO · OH | $58,610 | $64,086 | 30 |
| DaytonOHIO · OH | $57,600 | $62,140 | 30 |
| CincinnatiOHIO · OH | $52,120 | $54,650 | 100 |
| ClevelandOHIO · OH | $47,720 | $50,808 | 130 |
| ColumbusOHIO · OH | $46,550 | $48,759 | 200 |
| CantonOHIO · OH | $44,900 | $50,220 | 40 |
| AkronOHIO · OH | $35,360 | $37,871 | 40 |
See every metro in Ohio.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Canton area's unemployment rate was 4.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just appliance repair technicians), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Canton area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 12% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 78% drive alone, 1% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Canton area's population shrank 0.2% from 2020 to 2025 (401,237 → 400,246), ranking #303 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Canton
The Canton area has about 182,205 homes. 70% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 5% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 72% of households own their home, and the median home value is $205,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Canton are down 33% from 2021 to 2025 (953 → 643).
In 2025 the Canton area approved permits for 643 new homes (472 single-family), or 1.6 per 1,000 residents, ranking #325 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 35 one-person businesses (no employees) in appliance repair, averaging $47,629 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 4 appliance repair companies that have employees (about 4 workers in total). 100% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $44,900 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Canton with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.