TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in Fort Smith, AR-OK

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Fort Smith, AR-OK area earn a median of $42,030 a year, or $20.21 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $67,360. Statewide, auto mechanics earn a median of $44,160; Fort Smith is 5% below it.

Median yearly pay$42,030
Bottom 10% under$30,270Top 10% over$67,360
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$14.55/hr
Jobs in this area
550
After cost of living
$48,940
Median hourly pay
$20.21/hr
vs U.S. median
−17%
vs Arkansas median
−5%
Mean (average) pay
$46,970 a year · $22.58 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 22900, Fort Smith, AR-OK). 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 Fort Smith, AR-OK 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$14.55$30,270
25th percentile$17.42$36,230
Median (50th)$20.21$42,030
75th percentile$26.75$55,640
90th percentile$32.39$67,360

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

How Fort Smith, AR-OK compares

  • Fort Smith ranks 6th of 7 Arkansas metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
  • Auto mechanics are more concentrated in the Fort Smith area than nationally: 5.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.

Other Arkansas metro areas

Other trades in Fort Smith, AR-OK

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Fort Smith or Memphis?
Memphis pays more: the median is $42,030 in Fort Smith and $50,490 in Memphis, a 17% 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 22900 (Fort Smith, AR-OK). 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 (85.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures