Auto mechanic salary in Virginia
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Auto mechanics in Virginia earn a median of $59,330 a year, or $28.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $92,570 a year. Nationally the median is $50,620, so Virginia pays 17% more than the U.S. overall and ranks 7th of 51.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $17.57/hr
- Jobs in Virginia
- 17,880
- After cost of living
- $58,680
- Median hourly pay
- $28.53/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +17%
- Rank among states
- 7th of 51
- Mean (average) pay
- $61,600 a year · $29.62 an hour
Pay by percentile
What auto mechanics in Virginia 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 | $17.57 | $36,540 |
| 25th percentile | $21.67 | $45,080 |
| Median (50th) | $28.53 | $59,330 |
| 75th percentile | $36.80 | $76,540 |
| 90th percentile | $44.50 | $92,570 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
Pay over time
The median auto mechanic wage in Virginia rose 25.9%, from $47,120 in May 2021 to $59,330 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 5.4%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $47,120 | $22.66/hr |
| May 2022 | $47,410 | $22.79/hr |
| May 2023 | $48,830 | $23.47/hr |
| May 2024 | $56,320 | $27.08/hr |
| May 2025 | $59,330 | $28.53/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
How Virginia compares
- Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in Virginia as nationally: 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs.
Pay by metro area
Rural Virginia
- Northeast Virginia$53,030
- Northwest Virginia$47,890
- Southside Virginia$47,620
- Southwest Virginia$46,510
Other trades in Virginia
Bidding federal work? Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates in Virginia list what contractors must pay auto mechanics on federal and federally assisted jobs, county by county.
Questions
- Where in Virginia do auto mechanics earn the most?
- Among Virginia metro areas, Washington–Arlington–Alexandria has the highest median at $61,860 a year, and Lynchburg the lowest at $46,970.
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 51. 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 (101.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures