Handyman Services
The short answer: Handyman services map most closely to general maintenance and repair workers, whose employees earned a median $49,590 a year in May 2025, according to the BLS. The catch for handyman services is that this figure is employee pay, not side-hustle income. (BLS OEWS) Handyman services suit people who can do minor carpentry, fixture installation, assembly and patching for homeowners and landlords.
| Median pay of employed maintenance and repair workers, general | $23.84/hr ($49,590/yr) BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employee pay, not side-hustle income |
|---|---|
| Projected job growth, maintenance and repair workers, general | +4.2% BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 |
From 1 quote by 1 creator and BLS data. A creator figure is one person's account.
Go deeper: all the handyman services evidence
How much do handymen make?
For handyman services, BLS data covers employees: general maintenance and repair workers earned a median $23.84 an hour in May 2025. On a podcast episode about mailbox installation, Chris Koerner cited Thumbtack-style pricing of about $350-550 per standard install. (BLS OEWS; Chris Koerner)
Location moves the employee figure: the median was $60,310 in DC and $38,890 in West Virginia. (BLS OEWS)
| Related occupation | Median pay | Middle 80% |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $23.84/hr ($49,590/yr), BLS OEWS, May 2025 | $35,350–$77,180/yr |
Median annual pay of employed maintenance and repair workers, general: $49,590 nationally; highest and lowest states below (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Highest-paying states | Median | Lowest-paying states | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $60,310/yr | Oklahoma | $42,750/yr |
| Alaska | $60,270/yr | West Virginia | $38,890/yr |
| Minnesota | $59,200/yr | Puerto Rico | $23,220/yr |
What do people doing handyman services say?
“we hang up with the intention of following up with this later and then we forget to.”
What does it cost to start a handyman business?
Handyman services can start small in Chris's mailbox niche, where he put materials at roughly $100 per standard install. For a refrigerated salad bar countertop retrofit, he named a kit at about $800 and about a thousand dollars to start. (Chris Koerner)
- Choose a focus, such as the mailbox repairs in older neighborhoods Chris describes. (Chris Koerner)
- Set up a Google Business Profile, as he suggests.
- Post in neighborhood Facebook groups and run Nextdoor ads, as he suggests.
- Send direct mail after storms.
How much time does handyman services take?
Not enough evidence yet: No source we track says how long the first payout takes or how many hours it needs yet.
Who should offer handyman services?
Handyman services rest on work done in homes and buildings, going by the closest employee job, so anyone wanting remote work should skip them. Allen Lee of The Handyman Journey describes maintenance plans built on scheduled visits, so they suit someone able to keep returning to the same customers. (O*NET 31.0; The Handyman Journey)
Are handyman services worth it?
Pros
- The BLS projects employment of general maintenance and repair workers to grow 4.2% over 2025-35. (BLS Employment Projections)
- Under the maintenance plans Allen describes, the homeowner pays a fixed monthly amount. (The Handyman Journey)
- Chris cited one $9,000 HOA job among Reddit handymen. (Chris Koerner)
Cons
- General maintenance and repair employees earned a median of only $23,220 in Puerto Rico in May 2025. (BLS OEWS)
- Chris's plan relies on finding customers through local marketing such as Nextdoor ads and flyers. (Chris Koerner)
What are the risks of handyman services?
Handyman services sold on maintenance plans carry a warning from Allen, who stresses that a plan is not a warranty covering every repair for free. Chris offered no evidence of paying customers for the salad bar retrofit. (The Handyman Journey; Chris Koerner)
His mailbox install figures are quoted prices, not reported earnings. (Chris Koerner)
What are the alternatives to handyman services?
- Landscaping Services as a side hustle: Also in local services.
- Junk Removal Services as a side hustle: Also in local services.
- Pressure Washing Services: Also in local services.
- Mobile Car Detailing as a side hustle: Also in local services.
- Window Cleaning Services: Also in local services.
- Commercial Cleaning: Also in local services.
Part of: Local services
What else should you know about handyman services?
What does a handyman maintenance plan sell?
Allen says it sells peace of mind rather than repairs, with visits meant to keep small problems from growing. (The Handyman Journey)
What mailbox businesses does Chris Koerner describe?
He describes hands-on repairs in older neighborhoods, custom or imported novelty mailboxes sold online, and HOA contracts. (Chris Koerner)
Sources and method
Quotes are verbatim and linked to the moment they were said. A figure from one report is not confirmed by a second source. BLS figures describe employees in the closest related occupation. Every quote, the pay in each state and the full source list are on the all the handyman services evidence.
- Chris Koerner, podcast, 23 Jun 2025.
- Chris Koerner, YouTube, 3 Jul 2026.
- The Handyman Journey (Allen Lee), YouTube, 2 Nov 2026.
- The Bulletproof Handyman Business, YouTube, 4 Nov 2026.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, 31.0.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35.
Other data behind this page (2)
| Fact | Value | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demand trend | growing | Accepted | BLS Employment Projections |
| Common pitfalls | Forgetting to follow up on phone leads taken while on a job | One report | The Bulletproof Handyman Business |