How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Dubuque, IA?

The median hourly wage is $29.34. The middle half earn between $22.17 and $35.24 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Dubuque, IA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.08 an hour ($37,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.17.

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.

How does Dubuque pay compare with the rest of Iowa?

The Dubuque median of $61,030 is 21% more than the Iowa median of $50,510.

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%

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.

Entry-level to master auto mechanic pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$37,600–$46,120$18.08–$22.17/hr
Experienced technician	$61,030$29.34/hr
Master / top earners	$73,300–$77,770$35.24–$37.39/hr

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

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.
The 90th-percentile wage, $77,770, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,600: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Dubuque, IA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator

Questions

How much do auto mechanics make in Dubuque, IA?: 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.
How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Dubuque, IA?: The median hourly wage is $29.34. The middle half earn between $22.17 and $35.24 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Dubuque, IA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.08 an hour ($37,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.17.
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.
How does Dubuque pay compare with the rest of Iowa?: The Dubuque median of $61,030 is 21% more than the Iowa median of $50,510.

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