How much do auto mechanics make an hour in El Centro, CA?

The median hourly wage is $26.12. The middle half earn between $21.12 and $33.61 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level auto mechanics make in El Centro, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.65 an hour ($38,800 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.12.

Do auto mechanics make more in El Centro or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $54,330 in El Centro and $76,030 in San Francisco, a 29% difference.

How does El Centro pay compare with the rest of California?

The El Centro median of $54,330 is 16% less than the California median of $64,980.

Auto mechanic salary in El Centro, CA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $54,330 a year, or $26.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $77,370 a year. Statewide, auto mechanics earn a median of $64,980; El Centro is 16% below it.

Median yearly pay$54,330

Bottom 10% under$38,800Top 10% over$77,370

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $18.65/hr
Jobs in this area: 320
After cost of living: $57,080
Median hourly pay: $26.12/hr
vs U.S. median: +7%
vs California median: −16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20940, El Centro, CA). 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.

Entry-level to master auto mechanic pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$38,800–$43,920$18.65–$21.12/hr
Experienced technician	$54,330$26.12/hr
Master / top earners	$69,900–$77,370$33.61–$37.20/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How El Centro, CA compares

El Centro ranks 22nd of 25 California metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the El Centro area as nationally: 4.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $77,370, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,800: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in El Centro, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator

Questions

How much do auto mechanics make in El Centro, CA?: Auto mechanics in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $54,330 a year, or $26.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $77,370 a year.
How much do auto mechanics make an hour in El Centro, CA?: The median hourly wage is $26.12. The middle half earn between $21.12 and $33.61 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level auto mechanics make in El Centro, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.65 an hour ($38,800 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.12.
Do auto mechanics make more in El Centro or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $54,330 in El Centro and $76,030 in San Francisco, a 29% difference.
How does El Centro pay compare with the rest of California?: The El Centro median of $54,330 is 16% less than the California median of $64,980.

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 20940 (El Centro, CA). 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 (95.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures