Auto mechanic salary in Bowling Green, KY
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Auto mechanics in the Bowling Green, KY area earn a median of $42,860 a year, or $20.61 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $63,900. That's 5% less than the Kentucky median of $44,890.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $14.71/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 470
- After cost of living
- $47,530
- Median hourly pay
- $20.61/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −15%
- vs Kentucky median
- −5%
- Mean (average) pay
- $45,160 a year · $21.71 an hour
Pay by percentile
What auto mechanics in Bowling Green, KY 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 | $14.71 | $30,600 |
| 25th percentile | $16.70 | $34,740 |
| Median (50th) | $20.61 | $42,860 |
| 75th percentile | $26.43 | $54,970 |
| 90th percentile | $30.72 | $63,900 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Bowling Green, KY compares
- Bowling Green ranks 7th of 9 Kentucky metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
- Auto mechanics are more concentrated in the Bowling Green area than nationally: 5.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
Other Kentucky metro areas
Other trades in Bowling Green, KY
Questions
- Do auto mechanics make more in Bowling Green or Clarksville?
- Clarksville pays more: the median is $42,860 in Bowling Green and $49,570 in Clarksville, a 14% 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 14540 (Bowling Green, KY). 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 (90.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures