Auto mechanic salary in Waterloo, IA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Auto mechanics in the Waterloo–Cedar Falls, IA area earn a median of $48,720 a year, or $23.43 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $74,070 a year. Statewide, auto mechanics earn a median of $50,510; Waterloo is 4% below it.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $17.13/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 430
- After cost of living
- $55,960
- Median hourly pay
- $23.43/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −4%
- vs Iowa median
- −4%
- Mean (average) pay
- $53,450 a year · $25.70 an hour
Pay by percentile
What auto mechanics in Waterloo, 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.
| Percentile | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.13 | $35,630 |
| 25th percentile | $18.69 | $38,880 |
| Median (50th) | $23.43 | $48,720 |
| 75th percentile | $30.07 | $62,550 |
| 90th percentile | $35.61 | $74,070 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Waterloo, IA compares
- Waterloo ranks 8th of 9 Iowa metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
- Auto mechanics are more concentrated in the Waterloo area than nationally: 5.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
Other Iowa metro areas
Other trades in Waterloo, IA
Questions
- Do auto mechanics make more in Waterloo or Des Moines?
- Des Moines pays more: the median is $48,720 in Waterloo and $60,470 in Des Moines, a 19% 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 47940 (Waterloo-Cedar Falls, 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 (87.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures