TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in Dubuque, IA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Dubuque, IA area earn a median of $61,030 a year, or $29.34 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $77,770. Statewide, auto mechanics earn a median of $50,510; Dubuque is 21% above it.

Median yearly pay$61,030
Bottom 10% under$37,600Top 10% over$77,770
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$18.08/hr
Jobs in this area
290
After cost of living
$69,890
Median hourly pay
$29.34/hr
vs U.S. median
+21%
vs Iowa median
+21%
Mean (average) pay
$59,250 a year · $28.49 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20220, Dubuque, IA). 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 Dubuque, IA 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$18.08$37,600
25th percentile$22.17$46,120
Median (50th)$29.34$61,030
75th percentile$35.24$73,300
90th percentile$37.39$77,770

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

How Dubuque, IA compares

  • Dubuque has the highest auto mechanic median of the 9 Iowa metro areas with published pay.
  • Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Dubuque area as nationally: 5.0 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Dubuque, IA

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Dubuque or Des Moines?
Dubuque pays more: the median is $61,030 in Dubuque and $60,470 in Des Moines, a 1% 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 20220 (Dubuque, IA). 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 (87.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures