Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · SOC 49-3092 · O*NET 49-3092.00

Median salary
$50,540
Rank #495 of ~830 BLS occupations
10-year growth
+11.5%
2024–2034, fast
Employment
18.7M
BLS 2024
Projected 2034
21K
BLS projection
Official O*NET description

Diagnose, inspect, adjust, repair, or overhaul recreational vehicles including travel trailers. May specialize in maintaining gas, electrical, hydraulic, plumbing, or chassis/towing systems as well as repairing generators, appliances, and interior components. Includes workers who perform customized van conversions.

Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians fall under the Installation, Maintenance, and Repair category in the U.S. occupational classification. Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians earn a median salary of $50,540 per year, ranking in the top 61% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +11.5% job growth through 2034, projected to grow faster than 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 recreational vehicle service technicians earn?

The median annual wage for recreational vehicle service technicians is $50,540. That puts recreational vehicle service technicians at #495 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)$35,480
25th percentile$43,370
50th percentile (median)$50,540
75th percentile$63,300
90th percentile (top earners)$76,650
Median hourly wage$24.30/hr

Is recreational vehicle service technicians a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for recreational vehicle service technicians is +11.5%, projected to grow faster than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 19K positions in 2024 to 21K in 2034, a net change of 2K. Faster-than-average growth means hiring is consistently outpacing the labor market overall. New entrants generally find their first roles faster than peers in stable fields.

What do recreational vehicle service technicians do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working recreational vehicle service technicians, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

  1. 1.Repair plumbing or propane gas lines, using caulking compounds and plastic or copper pipe.
  2. 2.Inspect, repair, or replace brake systems.
  3. 3.Refinish wood surfaces on cabinets, doors, moldings, or floors, using power sanders, putty, spray equipment, brushes, paints, or varnishes.
  4. 4.Confer with customers, read work orders, or examine vehicles needing repair to determine the nature and extent of damage.
  5. 5.Reset hardware, using chisels, mallets, and screwdrivers.
  6. 6.Open and close doors, windows, or drawers to test their operation, trimming edges to fit, as necessary.
  7. 7.Locate and repair frayed wiring, broken connections, or incorrect wiring, using ohmmeters, soldering irons, tape, or hand tools.
  8. 8.Connect water hoses to inlet pipes of plumbing systems, and test operation of toilets or sinks.

Top skills for recreational vehicle service technicians

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

Repairing
4.0
Troubleshooting
3.6
Operations Monitoring
3.1
Operation and Control
3.1
Quality Control Analysis
3.1
Complex Problem Solving
3.1
Equipment Maintenance
3.1

What education does my child need to become recreational vehicle service technician?

Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians 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 recreational vehicle service technicians

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

Less than high school
46.3%
High school diploma
31.6%
Post-secondary certificate
20.6%
Some college courses
1.6%

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 recreational vehicle service technicians

What is the median salary for recreational vehicle service technicians?

The median annual salary for recreational vehicle service technicians is $50,540 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Is recreational vehicle service technicians a growing career?

BLS projects +11.5% growth for recreational vehicle service technicians from 2024 through 2034, which is fast growth projected to grow faster than the US average.

What education does my child need to become recreational vehicle service technician?

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 recreational vehicle service technicians?

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.