Musical instrument repairers and tuners
SOC Code: 49-9063
Musical instrument repairers and tuners carries a 20% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $45,320 and +1.4% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 6,200 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 20% AI exposure, Musical instrument repairers and tuners sits 17 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 6% of them. It ranks among the more AI-resilient roles in the dataset.
Career outlook score
50/100
Musical instrument repairers and tuners, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $45,320
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F +1.4%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A+ 20% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Musical instrument repairers and tuners in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Musical instrument repairers and tuners keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Slow growth (245 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Musical instrument repairers and tuners sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Musical instrument repairers and tuners sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
20% Among the lowest lower than 94% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Musical instrument repairers and tuners vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Musical instrument repairers and tuners is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Musical instrument repairers and tuners's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 49-9063) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Musical instrument repairers and tuners be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Musical instrument repairers and tuners. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Align pads and keys on reed or wind instruments.
- 2. Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
- 3. Solder posts and parts to hold them in their proper places.
- 4. Compare instrument pitches with tuning tool pitches to tune instruments.
- 5. Play instruments to evaluate their sound quality and to locate any defects.
- 6. Disassemble instruments and parts for repair and adjustment.
- 7. Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
- 8. Reassemble instruments following repair, using hand tools and power tools and glue, hair, yarn, resin, or clamps, and lubricate instruments as necessary.
- 9. Remove dents and burrs from metal instruments, using mallets and burnishing tools.
- 10. Inspect instruments to locate defects, and to determine their value or the level of restoration required.
Key Skills Required
- Quality Control Analysis
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Critical Thinking
- Service Orientation
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
- Fine Arts
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
- Engineering and Technology
- Physics
- Education and Training
- Administrative
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Musical instrument repairers and tuners?
Musical instrument repairers and tuners has an AI exposure score of 20%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Musical instrument repairers and tuners?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Musical instrument repairers and tuners is projected to grow by 1.4% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 6,200 workers.
What skills are needed for Musical instrument repairers and tuners?
Key skills for Musical instrument repairers and tuners include Quality Control Analysis, Troubleshooting, Repairing, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Musical instrument repairers and tuners earn?
The median annual wage for Musical instrument repairers and tuners is $45,320, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Musical instrument repairers and tuners?
The typical entry-level education for Musical instrument repairers and tuners is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Apprenticeship. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Musical instrument repairers and tuners?
Musical instrument repairers and tuners roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Musical instrument repairers and tuners: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (20% here).
- Bicycle repairers · AI exposure 20%
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment · AI exposure 20%
- Lighting technicians · AI exposure 20%
- Maintenance and repair workers, general · AI exposure 20%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+1.4% here).
- Financial clerks, all other · growth +1.4%
- Rehabilitation counselors · growth +1.4%
- Special education teachers, preschool · growth +1.4%
- Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door · growth +1.3%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 35 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Musical instrument repairers and tuners' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Musical instrument repairers and tuners side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).