TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in New Orleans, LA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the New Orleans–Metairie, LA area earn a median of $49,190 a year, or $23.65 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,440. That's 6% more than the Louisiana median of $46,400.

Median yearly pay$49,190
Bottom 10% under$31,640Top 10% over$80,440
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$15.21/hr
Jobs in this area
1,610
After cost of living
$53,120
Median hourly pay
$23.65/hr
vs U.S. median
−3%
vs Louisiana median
+6%
Mean (average) pay
$54,070 a year · $26.00 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 35380, New Orleans-Metairie, LA). 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 New Orleans, LA 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$15.21$31,640
25th percentile$18.56$38,600
Median (50th)$23.65$49,190
75th percentile$30.67$63,790
90th percentile$38.67$80,440

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

How New Orleans, LA compares

  • New Orleans has the highest auto mechanic median of the 10 Louisiana metro areas with published pay.
  • Auto mechanics are less concentrated in the New Orleans area than nationally: 3.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.80 times the U.S. share.

Other Louisiana metro areas

Other trades in New Orleans, LA

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in New Orleans or Baton Rouge?
New Orleans pays more: the median is $49,190 in New Orleans and $48,480 in Baton Rouge, 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 35380 (New Orleans-Metairie, LA). 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 (92.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures