Auto mechanic salary in Dover, DE
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Auto mechanics in the Dover, DE area earn a median of $48,800 a year, or $23.46 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,040 a year. That's 16% less than the Delaware median of $58,410.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $16.89/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 320
- After cost of living
- $50,050
- Median hourly pay
- $23.46/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −4%
- vs Delaware median
- −16%
Entry-level to master auto mechanic pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $35,130–$41,280$16.89–$19.84/hr | |
| Experienced technician | $48,800$23.46/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $61,530–$76,040$29.58–$36.56/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Dover, DE compares
- Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Dover area as nationally: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $76,040, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $35,130: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Delaware metro areas
Other trades in Dover, DE
Questions
- How much do auto mechanics make in Dover, DE?
- Auto mechanics in the Dover, DE area earn a median of $48,800 a year, or $23.46 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,040 a year.
- How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Dover, DE?
- The median hourly wage is $23.46. The middle half earn between $19.84 and $29.58 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Dover, DE?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $16.89 an hour ($35,130 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.84.
- Do auto mechanics make more in Dover or Philadelphia?
- Philadelphia pays more: the median is $48,800 in Dover and $58,460 in Philadelphia, a 17% difference.
- How does Dover pay compare with the rest of Delaware?
- The Dover median of $48,800 is 16% less than the Delaware median of $58,410.
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 20100 (Dover, DE). 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 (97.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures