Auto mechanic salary in Durham, NC
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Auto mechanics in the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC area earn a median of $51,580 a year, or $24.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,870. That's 7% more than the North Carolina median of $48,200.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $17.00/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,090
- After cost of living
- $52,860
- Median hourly pay
- $24.80/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +2%
- vs North Carolina median
- +7%
- Mean (average) pay
- $55,780 a year · $26.82 an hour
Pay by percentile
What auto mechanics in Durham, NC 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 | $17.00 | $35,360 |
| 25th percentile | $17.93 | $37,290 |
| Median (50th) | $24.80 | $51,580 |
| 75th percentile | $31.05 | $64,580 |
| 90th percentile | $37.92 | $78,870 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Durham, NC compares
- Durham ranks 3rd of 16 North Carolina metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
- Auto mechanics are less concentrated in the Durham area than nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.70 times the U.S. share.
Other North Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Durham, NC
Questions
- Do auto mechanics make more in Durham or Virginia Beach?
- Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $51,580 in Durham and $58,290 in Virginia Beach, a 12% 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 20500 (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC). 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 (97.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures