How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Charlottesville, VA?

The median hourly wage is $28.43. The middle half earn between $21.65 and $36.40 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Charlottesville, VA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.78 an hour ($36,980 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.65.

Do auto mechanics make more in Charlottesville or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $59,130 in Charlottesville and $61,860 in Washington, a 4% difference.

How does Charlottesville pay compare with the rest of Virginia?

The Charlottesville median of $59,130 is about the same as the Virginia median of $59,330.

Auto mechanic salary in Charlottesville, VA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Charlottesville, VA area earn a median of $59,130 a year, or $28.43 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $83,610 a year. Across all of Virginia, the median is $59,330, so Charlottesville pays about the same as the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$59,130

Bottom 10% under$36,980Top 10% over$83,610

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $17.78/hr
Jobs in this area: 430
After cost of living: $59,640
Median hourly pay: $28.43/hr
vs U.S. median: +17%
vs Virginia median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16820, Charlottesville, VA). 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	$36,980–$45,020$17.78–$21.65/hr
Experienced technician	$59,130$28.43/hr
Master / top earners	$75,710–$83,610$36.40–$40.20/hr

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

How Charlottesville, VA compares

Charlottesville ranks 3rd of 11 Virginia metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
Auto mechanics are less concentrated in the Charlottesville area than nationally: 3.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.83 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $83,610, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,980: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Charlottesville, VA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator

Questions

How much do auto mechanics make in Charlottesville, VA?: Auto mechanics in the Charlottesville, VA area earn a median of $59,130 a year, or $28.43 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $83,610 a year.
How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Charlottesville, VA?: The median hourly wage is $28.43. The middle half earn between $21.65 and $36.40 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Charlottesville, VA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.78 an hour ($36,980 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $21.65.
Do auto mechanics make more in Charlottesville or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $59,130 in Charlottesville and $61,860 in Washington, a 4% difference.
How does Charlottesville pay compare with the rest of Virginia?: The Charlottesville median of $59,130 is about the same as the Virginia median of $59,330.

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 16820 (Charlottesville, VA). 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 (99.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures