How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Las Cruces, NM?

The median hourly wage is $21.97. The middle half earn between $17.40 and $29.35 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Las Cruces, NM?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $13.96 an hour ($29,030 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $17.40.

Do auto mechanics make more in Las Cruces or Santa Fe?

Santa Fe pays more: the median is $45,690 in Las Cruces and $55,640 in Santa Fe, a 18% difference.

How does Las Cruces pay compare with the rest of New Mexico?

The Las Cruces median of $45,690 is 3% less than the New Mexico median of $47,300.

Auto mechanic salary in Las Cruces, NM

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Las Cruces, NM area earn a median of $45,690 a year, or $21.97 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $73,890 a year. Statewide, auto mechanics earn a median of $47,300; Las Cruces is 3% below it.

Median yearly pay$45,690

Bottom 10% under$29,030Top 10% over$73,890

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $13.96/hr
Jobs in this area: 420
After cost of living: $50,650
Median hourly pay: $21.97/hr
vs U.S. median: −10%
vs New Mexico median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29740, Las Cruces, NM). 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	$29,030–$36,200$13.96–$17.40/hr
Experienced technician	$45,690$21.97/hr
Master / top earners	$61,050–$73,890$29.35–$35.53/hr

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

How Las Cruces, NM compares

Las Cruces has the lowest auto mechanic median of the 4 New Mexico metro areas with published pay.
Auto mechanics are more concentrated in the Las Cruces area than nationally: 5.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $73,890, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $29,030: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other New Mexico metro areas

Other trades in Las Cruces, NM

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

Questions

How much do auto mechanics make in Las Cruces, NM?: Auto mechanics in the Las Cruces, NM area earn a median of $45,690 a year, or $21.97 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $73,890 a year.
How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Las Cruces, NM?: The median hourly wage is $21.97. The middle half earn between $17.40 and $29.35 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Las Cruces, NM?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $13.96 an hour ($29,030 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $17.40.
Do auto mechanics make more in Las Cruces or Santa Fe?: Santa Fe pays more: the median is $45,690 in Las Cruces and $55,640 in Santa Fe, a 18% difference.
How does Las Cruces pay compare with the rest of New Mexico?: The Las Cruces median of $45,690 is 3% less than the New Mexico median of $47,300.

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 29740 (Las Cruces, NM). 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