Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics salary
SOC 49-3023 · BLS OEWS May 2025
What the range looks like
A single median hides most of what a job pays. The bar below is the full national range: the wash spans the 10th to 90th percentile, the solid bar is the middle half, and the tick is the median.
- 10th
- $34,660
- 25th
- $38,900
- Median
- $50,620
- 75th
- $70,430
- 90th
- $81,790
Getting in
- Typical education to enter
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Entry requirements describe what is typical, not mandatory. Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34.
Where automotive service technicians and mechanics earn the most
Nominal pay and pay adjusted for local prices rank states differently — a high-wage state with high costs can be worse off in real terms than a middling one. Switch between the two below.
The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.
| # | State | Median | Cost of living | Employed | Concentrationvs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $68,660 | 109.9 | 310 | 0.10× |
| 2 | California | $64,980 | 110.7 | 65,420 | 0.79× |
| 3 | Colorado | $61,280 | 103.1 | 12,300 | 0.94× |
| 4 | Alaska | $60,840 | 102.4 | 1,420 | 0.96× |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $60,760 | 105.8 | 12,710 | 0.77× |
| 6 | Connecticut | $60,220 | 103.6 | 6,960 | 0.91× |
| 7 | Virginia | $59,330 | 101.1 | 17,880 | 0.96× |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $59,020 | 104.2 | 4,840 | 1.56× |
| 9 | Montana | $58,740 | 94.6 | 2,900 | 1.25× |
| 10 | Oregon | $58,520 | 103.4 | 6,990 | 0.78× |
| 11 | Delaware | $58,410 | 99.8 | 1,910 | 0.87× |
| 12 | Minnesota | $58,390 | 98.6 | 11,980 | 0.90× |
| 13 | Maryland | $57,520 | 105.0 | 14,230 | 1.14× |
| 14 | North Dakota | $57,360 | 89.0 | 2,140 | 1.10× |
| 15 | Washington | $57,270 | 107.0 | 12,930 | 0.80× |
| 16 | New Jersey | $56,610 | 108.8 | 17,640 | 0.91× |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $54,350 | 94.1 | 12,270 | 0.92× |
| 18 | New York | $54,120 | 107.9 | 32,020 | 0.73× |
| 19 | Michigan | $54,120 | 96.2 | 22,280 | 1.12× |
| 20 | Hawaii | $52,160 | 110.0 | 2,710 | 0.95× |
| 21 | Maine | $52,040 | 97.0 | 3,390 | 1.17× |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $51,770 | 102.3 | 2,530 | 1.11× |
| 23 | Vermont | $51,630 | 98.0 | 1,610 | 1.17× |
| 24 | Wyoming | $51,330 | 92.7 | 1,560 | 1.22× |
| 25 | South Dakota | $51,160 | 88.6 | 2,010 | 0.97× |
| 26 | Nebraska | $50,560 | 90.1 | 4,560 | 0.98× |
| 27 | Iowa | $50,510 | 87.8 | 7,610 | 1.08× |
| 28 | Tennessee | $50,290 | 91.9 | 16,210 | 1.09× |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $49,800 | 97.6 | 29,400 | 1.07× |
| 30 | Arizona | $49,570 | 100.7 | 16,400 | 1.12× |
| 31 | Indiana | $49,360 | 93.3 | 16,480 | 1.14× |
| 32 | Illinois | $49,170 | 100.0 | 29,510 | 1.07× |
| 33 | Missouri | $49,160 | 90.8 | 17,210 | 1.29× |
| 34 | Georgia | $49,060 | 96.3 | 22,070 | 1.00× |
| 35 | Ohio | $48,710 | 92.8 | 22,640 | 0.90× |
| 36 | Idaho | $48,420 | 95.5 | 5,030 | 1.30× |
| 37 | Texas | $48,310 | 97.1 | 69,750 | 1.09× |
| 38 | Nevada | $48,290 | 100.0 | 7,420 | 1.06× |
| 39 | Florida | $48,260 | 103.4 | 49,930 | 1.11× |
| 40 | North Carolina | $48,200 | 94.3 | 26,510 | 1.18× |
| 41 | South Carolina | $48,100 | 93.7 | 13,420 | 1.29× |
| 42 | Kansas | $47,790 | 90.1 | 6,240 | 0.96× |
| 43 | New Mexico | $47,300 | 92.2 | 5,080 | 1.29× |
| 44 | Utah | $46,570 | 98.9 | 9,350 | 1.19× |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $46,560 | 87.8 | 8,870 | 1.15× |
| 46 | Louisiana | $46,400 | 88.2 | 8,620 | 0.98× |
| 47 | Alabama | $45,640 | 88.8 | 9,040 | 0.94× |
| 48 | Kentucky | $44,890 | 90.2 | 11,140 | 1.23× |
| 49 | Arkansas | $44,160 | 86.9 | 7,310 | 1.24× |
| 50 | Mississippi | $37,820 | 87.0 | 7,410 | 1.41× |
| 51 | West Virginia | $37,660 | 89.5 | 4,490 | 1.41× |
Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. States where automotive service technicians and mechanics wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.
Best paying metro areas for automotive service technicians and mechanics
The 40 highest-paying metros with a published estimate. BLS suppresses roughly half of all occupation-by-metro cells, so a metro absent here has no local figure rather than a low one.
The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median | Cost of living | Employed | Concentrationvs. national |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $77,840 | 110.4 | 3,040 | 0.59× |
| 2 | Napa, CA | $76,450 | 112.6 | 160 | 0.47× |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $76,030 | 115.6 | 7,270 | 0.68× |
| 4 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $75,080 | 107.8 | 1,000 | 1.07× |
| 5 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $72,020 | 106.7 | 4,870 | 0.99× |
| 6 | Vallejo, CA | $69,710 | 108.5 | 760 | 1.16× |
| 7 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $65,160 | 110.5 | 1,450 | 0.99× |
| 8 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $64,320 | 111.9 | 4,910 | 0.70× |
| 9 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $64,210 | 106.4 | 7,680 | 0.99× |
| 10 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $64,090 | 101.6 | 170 | 0.78× |
| 11 | Boulder, CO | $63,950 | 105.2 | 670 | 0.77× |
| 12 | Chico, CA | $63,070 | 101.2 | 320 | 0.90× |
| 13 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $63,060 | 108.3 | 9,360 | 0.76× |
| 14 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | $62,840 | 105.1 | 1,310 | 1.00× |
| 15 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $62,820 | 113.6 | 22,330 | 0.79× |
| 16 | Modesto, CA | $62,770 | 104.1 | 1,030 | 1.16× |
| 17 | Salinas, CA | $62,770 | 109.0 | 620 | 0.73× |
| 18 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $62,530 | 96.9 | 3,170 | 0.85× |
| 19 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $62,450 | 100.9 | 1,250 | 0.81× |
| 20 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $62,440 | 106.9 | 1,460 | 0.80× |
| 21 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $61,960 | 105.8 | 6,340 | 0.87× |
| 22 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $61,860 | 108.9 | 12,030 | 0.85× |
| 23 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $61,620 | 108.6 | 520 | 0.95× |
| 24 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $61,610 | 101.1 | 790 | 1.04× |
| 25 | Richmond, VA | $61,510 | 97.9 | 2,930 | 0.98× |
| 26 | Bozeman, MT | $61,320 | 102.5 | 330 | 1.01× |
| 27 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $61,110 | 108.8 | 700 | 0.77× |
| 28 | Fairbanks-College, AK | $61,060 | 103.2 | 270 | 1.65× |
| 29 | Dubuque, IA | $61,030 | 87.3 | 290 | 1.09× |
| 30 | Greeley, CO | $60,920 | 100.2 | 600 | 1.10× |
| 31 | Colorado Springs, CO | $60,710 | 100.7 | 1,600 | 1.12× |
| 32 | Barnstable Town, MA | $60,650 | 98.4 | 430 | 1.01× |
| 33 | Madison, WI | $60,650 | 97.3 | 1,270 | 0.69× |
| 34 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $60,490 | 104.8 | 7,180 | 0.81× |
| 35 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $60,470 | 91.7 | 1,870 | 1.02× |
| 36 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $60,450 | 105.4 | 4,180 | 0.76× |
| 37 | Billings, MT | $60,150 | 93.5 | 650 | 1.53× |
| 38 | Minot, ND | $60,020 | 87.0 | 210 | 1.38× |
| 39 | Anchorage, AK | $59,880 | 105.4 | 850 | 1.06× |
| 40 | New Haven, CT | $59,760 | 104.6 | 1,320 | 1.03× |
Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. Metro areas where automotive service technicians and mechanics wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.
Similar occupations
Other jobs in the same field, with what each pays nationally.
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists$61,770
- Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines$65,510
- Automotive Body and Related Repairers$54,890
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians$79,870
- Tire Repairers and Changers$37,710
- Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians$56,550
- Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics$47,880
- Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians$57,550