How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Lincoln, NE?

The median hourly wage is $23.80. The middle half earn between $20.09 and $33.44 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Lincoln, NE?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.51 an hour ($36,410 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.09.

Do auto mechanics make more in Lincoln or Omaha?

Omaha pays more: the median is $49,500 in Lincoln and $54,230 in Omaha, a 9% difference.

How does Lincoln pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?

The Lincoln median of $49,500 is 2% less than the Nebraska median of $50,560.

Auto mechanic salary in Lincoln, NE

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Lincoln, NE area earn a median of $49,500 a year, or $23.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,080. Across all of Nebraska, the median is $50,560, so Lincoln pays 2% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$49,500

Bottom 10% under$36,410Top 10% over$80,080

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $17.51/hr
Jobs in this area: 770
After cost of living: $54,050
Median hourly pay: $23.80/hr
vs U.S. median: −2%
vs Nebraska median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 30700, Lincoln, NE). 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	$36,410–$41,780$17.51–$20.09/hr
Experienced technician	$49,500$23.80/hr
Master / top earners	$69,560–$80,080$33.44–$38.50/hr

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

How Lincoln, NE compares

Lincoln has the lowest auto mechanic median of the 4 Nebraska metro areas with published pay.
Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Lincoln area as nationally: 4.2 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $80,080, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,410: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Nebraska metro areas

Other trades in Lincoln, NE

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Roofer Ironworker

Questions

How much do auto mechanics make in Lincoln, NE?: Auto mechanics in the Lincoln, NE area earn a median of $49,500 a year, or $23.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,080.
How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Lincoln, NE?: The median hourly wage is $23.80. The middle half earn between $20.09 and $33.44 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Lincoln, NE?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.51 an hour ($36,410 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.09.
Do auto mechanics make more in Lincoln or Omaha?: Omaha pays more: the median is $49,500 in Lincoln and $54,230 in Omaha, a 9% difference.
How does Lincoln pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?: The Lincoln median of $49,500 is 2% less than the Nebraska median of $50,560.

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 30700 (Lincoln, NE). 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 (91.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures