Auto mechanic career
BLS occupation: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (49-3023). Updated September 27, 2026.
Pay
Auto mechanics in the U.S. earn a median of $50,620 a year, or $24.34 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data.
What auto mechanics do
- Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
- Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
- Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
- Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
- Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
- Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
- Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
- Align vehicles' front ends.
The most important tasks, as rated by workers in the occupation. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Job outlook
BLS projects auto mechanic jobs will grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% for all U.S. jobs, with about 66,200 openings a year as people join, retire, and change careers.
- Jobs in 2025
- 825,800
- Projected for 2035
- 866,700
- Openings a year
- 66,200
- Self-employed
- 14.6%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035. Job counts include self-employed workers.
Training
- Typical education to start
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Experience in a related job
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections. Licensing rules vary by state; confirm with your state's licensing board.
Pay in your state
- District of Columbia$68,660
- California$64,980
- Colorado$61,280
- Alaska$60,840
- Massachusetts$60,760
- Connecticut$60,220
- Virginia$59,330
- New Hampshire$59,020
- Montana$58,740
- Oregon$58,520
See all 50 states and DC
- Delaware$58,410
- Minnesota$58,390
- Maryland$57,520
- North Dakota$57,360
- Washington$57,270
- New Jersey$56,610
- Wisconsin$54,350
- Michigan$54,120
- New York$54,120
- Hawaii$52,160
- Maine$52,040
- Rhode Island$51,770
- Vermont$51,630
- Wyoming$51,330
- South Dakota$51,160
- Nebraska$50,560
- Iowa$50,510
- Tennessee$50,290
- Pennsylvania$49,800
- Arizona$49,570
- Indiana$49,360
- Illinois$49,170
- Missouri$49,160
- Georgia$49,060
- Ohio$48,710
- Idaho$48,420
- Texas$48,310
- Nevada$48,290
- Florida$48,260
- North Carolina$48,200
- South Carolina$48,100
- Kansas$47,790
- New Mexico$47,300
- Utah$46,570
- Oklahoma$46,560
- Louisiana$46,400
- Alabama$45,640
- Kentucky$44,890
- Arkansas$44,160
- Mississippi$37,820
- West Virginia$37,660
Top-paying metro areas
- San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa ClaraCA$77,840
- NapaCA$76,450
- San Francisco–Oakland–FremontCA$76,030
- Santa Rosa–PetalumaCA$75,080
- Sacramento–Roseville–FolsomCA$72,020
- VallejoCA$69,710
- Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–VenturaCA$65,160
- San Diego–Chula Vista–CarlsbadCA$64,320
- Riverside–San Bernardino–OntarioCA$64,210
- Hanford–CorcoranCA$64,090
Other trades
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Excludes self-employed auto mechanics.