TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in Dayton, OH

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Dayton–Kettering–Beavercreek, OH area earn a median of $47,100 a year, or $22.64 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $79,520. Across all of Ohio, the median is $48,710, so Dayton pays 3% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$47,100
Bottom 10% under$33,550Top 10% over$79,520
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$16.13/hr
Jobs in this area
1,570
After cost of living
$50,810
Median hourly pay
$22.64/hr
vs U.S. median
−7%
vs Ohio median
−3%
Mean (average) pay
$53,180 a year · $25.57 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19430, Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH). 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 Dayton, OH 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$16.13$33,550
25th percentile$17.34$36,070
Median (50th)$22.64$47,100
75th percentile$30.75$63,960
90th percentile$38.23$79,520

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

How Dayton, OH compares

  • Dayton ranks 6th of 15 Ohio metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
  • Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Dayton area as nationally: 4.2 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Ohio metro areas

Other trades in Dayton, OH

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Dayton or Columbus?
Columbus pays more: the median is $47,100 in Dayton and $56,150 in Columbus, a 16% 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 19430 (Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH). 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 (92.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures