Auto mechanic salary
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
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. One in ten earns more than $81,790.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $16.66/hr
- Jobs nationwide
- 704,640
- Median hourly pay
- $24.34/hr
- Mean (average) pay
- $56,420 a year · $27.13 an hour
Pay by percentile
What auto mechanics in the U.S. earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.
| Percentile | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.66 | $34,660 |
| 25th percentile | $18.70 | $38,900 |
| Median (50th) | $24.34 | $50,620 |
| 75th percentile | $33.86 | $70,430 |
| 90th percentile | $39.32 | $81,790 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
Pay over time
The median auto mechanic wage in the U.S. rose 8%, from $46,880 in May 2021 to $50,620 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 9.6%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $46,880 | $22.54/hr |
| May 2022 | $46,970 | $22.58/hr |
| May 2023 | $47,770 | $22.96/hr |
| May 2024 | $49,670 | $23.88/hr |
| May 2025 | $50,620 | $24.34/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
Auto mechanic pay by 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
Every metro area ranked by auto mechanic pay after cost of living
Other trades in the U.S.
Questions
- Which state pays auto mechanics the most?
- The District of Columbia, with a median of $68,660 a year, followed by California ($64,980). West Virginia has the lowest median, $37,660.
- Which metro area pays auto mechanics the most?
- The San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA area, with a median of $77,840 a year.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-3023 (Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed auto mechanics and business owners aren't included. Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures