TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in Owensboro, KY

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Owensboro, KY area earn a median of $43,900 a year, or $21.11 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $71,800. Statewide, auto mechanics earn a median of $44,890; Owensboro is 2% below it.

Median yearly pay$43,900
Bottom 10% under$30,710Top 10% over$71,800
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$14.76/hr
Jobs in this area
290
After cost of living
$49,540
Median hourly pay
$21.11/hr
vs U.S. median
−13%
vs Kentucky median
−2%
Mean (average) pay
$46,690 a year · $22.45 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 36980, Owensboro, KY). 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 Owensboro, 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.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$14.76$30,710
25th percentile$17.54$36,490
Median (50th)$21.11$43,900
75th percentile$27.69$57,600
90th percentile$34.52$71,800

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

How Owensboro, KY compares

  • Owensboro ranks 5th of 9 Kentucky metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
  • Auto mechanics are more concentrated in the Owensboro area than nationally: 5.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.

Other Kentucky metro areas

Other trades in Owensboro, KY

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Owensboro or Clarksville?
Clarksville pays more: the median is $43,900 in Owensboro and $49,570 in Clarksville, a 11% 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 36980 (Owensboro, 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 (88.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures