Repair Shops and Related Services, NEC

Miscellaneous repair shops service a plethora of items, including motorcycles, bicycles, leather goods, lawn mowers, window shades, camping equipment, pianos and organs, septic tanks, surgical instruments, surveying equipment, and bowling pins. The industry encompasses taxidermists, locksmiths, and office machine repairers, among other miscellaneous services. While many companies, such as furnace cleaning firms, specialize in one type of activity, other industry participants are general maintenance companies that supply a variety of repair and related services.

General maintenance workers are jacks-of-all-trades, and they work as plumbers, carpenters, and mechanics. They repair and maintain machines and equipment, for example, and fix air-conditioning systems, repair roofs and floors, maintain cafeterias, restore tools, refurbish furniture, inspect mechanical systems, and perform many other services. They are often self-employed; will travel to a work site; and work for governments, institutions, and private industry.

Representing the diversity of repair occupations, this industry classification encompassed over 130,000 establishments in 2009 and employed more than 45,000 people. Over half were sole proprietorships, and more than 95 percent had fewer than 25 employees. The industry as a whole had combined total revenues of $37.5 billion. Categories within the industry included cleaning services, locksmith services, septic tank repair and cleaning, boat repair, piano tuning, custom picture framing, farm machinery repair, horseshoeing, taxidermists, knife sharpening, heavy equipment repair, and gun repair.