TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in Tuscaloosa, AL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Tuscaloosa, AL area earn a median of $45,070 a year, or $21.67 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,230. Across all of Alabama, the median is $45,640, so Tuscaloosa pays 1% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$45,070
Bottom 10% under$32,160Top 10% over$78,230
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$15.46/hr
Jobs in this area
530
After cost of living
$51,380
Median hourly pay
$21.67/hr
vs U.S. median
−11%
vs Alabama median
−1%
Mean (average) pay
$50,270 a year · $24.17 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 46220, Tuscaloosa, AL). Excludes self-employed auto mechanics. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Pay by percentile

What auto mechanics in Tuscaloosa, AL 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.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$15.46$32,160
25th percentile$18.52$38,520
Median (50th)$21.67$45,070
75th percentile$28.81$59,930
90th percentile$37.61$78,230

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Tuscaloosa, AL compares

  • Tuscaloosa ranks 9th of 13 Alabama metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
  • Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Tuscaloosa area as nationally: 4.9 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Alabama metro areas

Other trades in Tuscaloosa, AL

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Tuscaloosa or Columbus?
Columbus pays more: the median is $45,070 in Tuscaloosa and $48,830 in Columbus, a 8% difference.

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), area code 46220 (Tuscaloosa, AL). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed auto mechanics and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (87.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures