TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area earn a median of $49,090 a year, or $23.60 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,820. That's 1% more than the Ohio median of $48,710.

Median yearly pay$49,090
Bottom 10% under$35,090Top 10% over$80,820
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$16.87/hr
Jobs in this area
4,520
After cost of living
$51,470
Median hourly pay
$23.60/hr
vs U.S. median
−3%
vs Ohio median
+1%
Mean (average) pay
$55,840 a year · $26.85 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17140, Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN). 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 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$16.87$35,090
25th percentile$18.40$38,270
Median (50th)$23.60$49,090
75th percentile$32.07$66,710
90th percentile$38.85$80,820

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

How Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN compares

  • Cincinnati ranks 4th of 15 Ohio metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
  • Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Cincinnati area as nationally: 4.1 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Ohio metro areas

Other trades in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Cincinnati or Columbus?
Columbus pays more: the median is $49,090 in Cincinnati and $56,150 in Columbus, a 13% 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 17140 (Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN). 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 (95.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures