Field service spans occupations, industries and software categories. A technician employment count, a contractor's receipts and a software vendor's revenue describe different things. This September 8, 2026 review gives each figure a source, period and scope so you can use it without inventing a national total.
US workforce: seven occupational benchmarks
The figures below are from the current Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Employment refers to the 2025 projections base year; pay refers to May 2025. Growth is projected for 2025-2035, not measured growth in 2026.
| Occupation | 2025 jobs | Median pay, May 2025 | Projected growth, 2025-2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC mechanics and installers | 440,900 | $61,010/year | 11% |
| Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters | 510,600 | $63,800/year | 7% |
| Electricians | 821,000 | $63,190/year | 9% |
| Janitors and building cleaners | 2,432,600 | $17.71/hour | 2% |
| Grounds maintenance workers | About 1.3 million | $19.27/hour | 5% |
| Pest control workers | 108,700 | $45,250/year | 6% |
| Roofers | 166,900 | $55,440/year | 5% |
These are selected occupations, not a census of home-service technicians. They include work outside residential service businesses. Janitorial employment does not include the separate maids/housekeeping category; grounds maintenance is broader than landscaping/groundskeeping. Do not label their sum the field-service workforce.
The Handbook's employment projections and its wage survey have different coverage. In particular, its wage figures exclude self-employed workers. Pay is also different from a company's fully loaded labor cost or the hourly rate it charges a customer. See the methodology notes in the linked profiles.
Market size: choose the quantity before the number
| Question | Suitable evidence | Boundary to keep |
|---|---|---|
| How many employer locations operate in an area? | Census County Business Patterns | Establishments, paid employees and payroll; not every business owner |
| What about businesses without employees? | Census Nonemployer Statistics | Separate business counts and receipts |
| How much is spent on homeowner repairs? | Harvard JCHS LIRA | Owner-occupied improvement/repair spending, including DIY |
| What does an FSM vendor earn? | Its financial statements | Revenue scope, fiscal period and geography |
A company can operate several establishments. A worker can serve residential, commercial and industrial customers. A home improvement total can include materials bought for DIY. Those boundaries prevent a credible source from becoming a misleading market claim.
The reviewed sources do not establish one comparable total for all US field-service revenue, all software spending and every technician. We therefore do not publish a combined market-size estimate here.
Software adoption and AI
A vendor feature list shows what is offered; it does not measure how many businesses use it. A representative adoption estimate needs a defined population, sample, response period and a clear definition of active use. We found no such evidence for the adoption percentages in the earlier draft, so they have been withdrawn.
For purchasing, demonstrate the actual task: an appointment conflict, a changed quote, a technician's lost connection and a failed payment acknowledgement. Record whether the system suggests an action, requires approval or executes it automatically. Compare the same task and plan across vendors. Our software guide provides a sourced shortlist.
Operating measures you can reproduce
Choose one period and retain the underlying jobs and invoices. Compare like service types and explain exclusions before judging performance.
- Revenue per productive hour: eligible job revenue divided by recorded productive hours; document treatment of taxes, credits and unfinished work.
- Travel share: travel time divided by paid field time. Keep the definition consistent when comparing routes.
- Repeat visit rate: jobs needing an unplanned return divided by completed jobs. Separate warranty callbacks from planned stages.
- Collection time: days between issue and receipt, with unpaid invoices reported separately rather than silently omitted.
These are measurement suggestions, not national averages or proven software savings. A higher ticket does not establish a higher margin, and revenue per truck depends on how many people and shifts use that truck.
Source and product notes
This is a compilation of public sources, not a SnapJobAI survey or vendor trial study. The previous draft's claimed original research and unsourced margin tables have been withdrawn. Dates above identify the underlying data rather than implying that all values were measured in 2026.
SnapJobAI supports reviewed scheduling, estimates, invoicing, recorded job costs and selected field workflows. Accounting synchronization, multi-person crews, full offline coverage and some specialist workflows remain unfinished. Provider setup and native distribution must be verified before live use. See current features and native access limits.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
How many field-service technicians work in the US?
This page reports selected BLS occupations separately. They cover different work and do not establish a single national field-service technician total.
Do projected job openings measure a technician shortage?
No. Openings include replacement needs as well as growth. They are not a count of vacancies that will remain unfilled.
What percentage of operators use field-service software?
The sources reviewed for this article do not establish a representative national adoption percentage. Vendor capabilities and customer counts alone cannot provide one.