Elevator Installers in the San Francisco area earn a median of $168,270 a year, 55% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #2 of 53 metros for elevator installers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Jose.
It's one of 5 California metros with published pay for this trade; see elevator installer pay in California.
Elevator Installer pay in San Francisco at a glance
- Elevator installers in the San Francisco, CA metro earn a median $168,270 a year ($80.90 an hour), #2 of 53 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $84,920 and $196,370.
- After local prices, that median buys what $145,546 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $2,571 a month, 18% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among elevator installers in San Francisco.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for elevator installers 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 (4.4%) and the population is shrinking (-2.4% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 215 one-person building equipment installation businesses averaging $95,363 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $171/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
San Francisco scorecard for elevator installers Our calculation
Grades compare San Francisco 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 ($108,250).
Pay over time
The median pay for elevator installers in the San Francisco area went from $98,660 in 2020 to $168,270 in 2025, up 70.6%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +36.0% — a real raise.
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 San Francisco Our calculation
Prices in San Francisco run 16% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $145,546 would in a typical place, ranking #3 of 52 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 cost-of-living budget for San Francisco from this pay, local rent and prices.
What elevator installers do
Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly.
- Assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and dumbwaiters, using hand and power tools, and testing devices such as test lamps, ammeters, and voltmeters.
- Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.
- Check that safety regulations and building codes are met, and complete service reports verifying conformance to standards.
- Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, elevator installer jobs are projected to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 1,900 openings a year.
What the work is like Government data
How often elevator installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most elevator installers train through a paid apprenticeship: you work and earn under experienced pros while taking classes, and pay usually rises as you progress. 727,586 people were active registered apprentices nationwide in FY2026, up 87% since FY2016, and construction is the largest field with 290,043 of them (40%), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Search apprenticeship openings near San Francisco ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for elevator installers.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for elevator installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, elevator installers have 101 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.2× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for elevator installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $173,920 | $157,503 | 70 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $168,270 | $145,546 | 370 |
| Los AngelesCALIFORNIA · CA | $140,600 | $123,805 | 850 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $140,250 | $125,350 | 170 |
| FresnoCALIFORNIA · CA | $126,110 | $123,446 | 50 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The San Francisco area's unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just elevator installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.6% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the San Francisco area is 33 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 27% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 53% drive alone, 11% take transit and 19% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The San Francisco area's population shrank 2.4% from 2020 to 2025 (4,745,853 → 4,630,041), ranking #368 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -166,068).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in San Francisco
The San Francisco area has about 1,908,554 homes. 66% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 9% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 55% of households own their home, and the median home value is $1,132,900.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in San Francisco are down 43% from 2021 to 2025 (13,606 → 7,750).
In 2025 the San Francisco area approved permits for 7,750 new homes (2,713 single-family), or 1.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #318 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 215 one-person businesses (no employees) in building equipment installation, averaging $95,363 a year in revenue before expenses. See how San Francisco compares among the best cities to start an elevator installer business.
They compete with 117 building equipment installation companies that have employees (about 2,816 workers in total). 40% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The San Francisco area has 26 active C-11 Elevator contractor licenses, about 0.1 per 10,000 residents (#7 of 15 California metros, where #1 is the most crowded). That's the competition you'd face bidding your own jobs.
California Contractors State License Board, License Master file, October 2026. Counted by the county in each license's address.
Working outdoors in San Francisco Government data
In an average year, San Francisco has 4 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 0 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 39 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 72°F and winter nights 45°F. That matters for elevator installers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, San Francisco International Airport, CA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $168,270 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 elevator installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare San Francisco with another city →
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ToolCheck an offer in San FranciscoSee where it falls among local elevator installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolSan Francisco budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the San Francisco 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 San Francisco against every other metro for elevator installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.