How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?

The median hourly wage is $28.46. The middle half earn between $22.29 and $29.59 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.35 an hour ($40,250 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.29.

Do auto mechanics make more in Sioux Falls or Rapid City?

Pay is about the same: the median is $59,190 in Sioux Falls and $58,980 in Rapid City.

How does Sioux Falls pay compare with the rest of South Dakota?

The Sioux Falls median of $59,190 is 16% more than the South Dakota median of $51,160.

Auto mechanic salary in Sioux Falls, SD-MN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area earn a median of $59,190 a year, or $28.46 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $80,500 a year. That's 16% more than the South Dakota median of $51,160.

Median yearly pay$59,190

Bottom 10% under$40,250Top 10% over$80,500

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $19.35/hr
Jobs in this area: 720
After cost of living: $65,310
Median hourly pay: $28.46/hr
vs U.S. median: +17%
vs South Dakota median: +16%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 43620, Sioux Falls, SD-MN). 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	$40,250–$46,370$19.35–$22.29/hr
Experienced technician	$59,190$28.46/hr
Master / top earners	$61,540–$80,500$29.59–$38.70/hr

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

How Sioux Falls, SD-MN compares

Sioux Falls has the highest auto mechanic median of the 3 South Dakota metro areas with published pay.
Auto mechanics are less concentrated in the Sioux Falls area than nationally: 4.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.89 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $80,500, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,250: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other South Dakota metro areas

Other trades in Sioux Falls, SD-MN

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

Questions

How much do auto mechanics make in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?: Auto mechanics in the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area earn a median of $59,190 a year, or $28.46 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $80,500 a year.
How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?: The median hourly wage is $28.46. The middle half earn between $22.29 and $29.59 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.35 an hour ($40,250 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.29.
Do auto mechanics make more in Sioux Falls or Rapid City?: Pay is about the same: the median is $59,190 in Sioux Falls and $58,980 in Rapid City.
How does Sioux Falls pay compare with the rest of South Dakota?: The Sioux Falls median of $59,190 is 16% more than the South Dakota median of $51,160.

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 43620 (Sioux Falls, SD-MN). 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 (90.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures