Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · SOC 49-9095 · O*NET 49-9095.00

Median salary
$41,080
Rank #671 of ~830 BLS occupations
10-year growth
+5.9%
2024–2034, average
Employment
2.6M
BLS 2024
Projected 2034
3K
BLS projection
Official O*NET description

Move or install mobile homes or prefabricated buildings.

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers fall under the Installation, Maintenance, and Repair category in the U.S. occupational classification. Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers earn a median salary of $41,080 per year, ranking in the top 83% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +5.9% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.

What do manufactured building and mobile home installers earn?

The median annual wage for manufactured building and mobile home installers is $41,080. That puts manufactured building and mobile home installers at #671 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.

Full salary distribution (national, BLS 2024)
10th percentile (entry-level)$30,280
25th percentile$35,290
50th percentile (median)$41,080
75th percentile$48,410
90th percentile (top earners)$57,190
Median hourly wage$19.75/hr

Is manufactured building and mobile home installers a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for manufactured building and mobile home installers is +5.9%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 3K positions in 2024 to 3K in 2034, a net change of 0K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.

What do manufactured building and mobile home installers do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working manufactured building and mobile home installers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

  1. 1.Seal open sides of modular units to prepare them for shipment, using polyethylene sheets, nails, and hammers.
  2. 2.Inspect, examine, and test the operation of parts or systems to evaluate operating condition and to determine if repairs are needed.
  3. 3.Install, repair, and replace units, fixtures, appliances, and other items and systems in mobile and modular homes, prefabricated buildings, or travel trailers, using hand tools or power tools.
  4. 4.Connect water hoses to inlet pipes of plumbing systems, and test operation of plumbing fixtures.
  5. 5.Confer with customers or read work orders to determine the nature and extent of damage to units.
  6. 6.Reset hardware, using chisels, mallets, and screwdrivers.
  7. 7.Repair leaks in plumbing or gas lines, using caulking compounds and plastic or copper pipe.
  8. 8.Open and close doors, windows, and drawers to test their operation, trimming edges to fit, using jackplanes or drawknives.

Top skills for manufactured building and mobile home installers

O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.

Operation and Control
3.8
Quality Control Analysis
3.8
Critical Thinking
3.8
Operations Monitoring
3.6
Coordination
3.5
Judgment and Decision Making
3.5
Monitoring
3.5

What education does my child need to become manufactured building and mobile home installer?

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers typically enter the field through a formal apprenticeship, technical certification, or vocational training program — a strong fit for teens who prefer hands-on learning over traditional college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.

Actual education levels of working manufactured building and mobile home installers

Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.

Less than high school
59.2%
High school diploma
39.5%
Post-secondary certificate
1.2%

Related careers your child might also consider

How parents help teens explore careers like this

Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.

Common questions parents ask about manufactured building and mobile home installers

What is the median salary for manufactured building and mobile home installers?

The median annual salary for manufactured building and mobile home installers is $41,080 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Is manufactured building and mobile home installers a growing career?

BLS projects +5.9% growth for manufactured building and mobile home installers from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.

What education does my child need to become manufactured building and mobile home installer?

The typical entry path requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.

What careers are similar to manufactured building and mobile home installers?

Related occupations within the Installation, Maintenance, and Repair category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.