TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in Elkhart, IN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Elkhart–Goshen, IN area earn a median of $49,990 a year, or $24.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,760. Across all of Indiana, the median is $49,360, so Elkhart pays 1% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$49,990
Bottom 10% under$34,970Top 10% over$78,760
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$16.81/hr
Jobs in this area
530
After cost of living
$55,340
Median hourly pay
$24.03/hr
vs U.S. median
−1%
vs Indiana median
+1%
Mean (average) pay
$53,440 a year · $25.69 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 21140, Elkhart-Goshen, IN). 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 Elkhart, IN 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$16.81$34,970
25th percentile$19.52$40,590
Median (50th)$24.03$49,990
75th percentile$29.52$61,410
90th percentile$37.87$78,760

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

How Elkhart, IN compares

  • Elkhart ranks 4th of 15 Indiana metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
  • Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Elkhart area as nationally: 4.2 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in Elkhart, IN

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Elkhart or Chicago?
Chicago pays more: the median is $49,990 in Elkhart and $55,320 in Chicago, a 10% 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 21140 (Elkhart-Goshen, IN). 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 (90.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures