Do auto mechanics make more in Richmond or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $61,510 in Richmond and $61,860 in Washington, a 1% difference.

Auto mechanic salary in Richmond, VA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Richmond, VA area earn a median of $61,510 a year, or $29.57 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,850 a year. That's 4% more than the Virginia median of $59,330.

Median yearly pay$61,510

Bottom 10% under$36,550Top 10% over$81,850

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $17.57/hr
Jobs in this area: 2,930
After cost of living: $62,860
Median hourly pay: $29.57/hr
vs U.S. median: +22%
vs Virginia median: +4%
Mean (average) pay: $61,160 a year · $29.40 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40060, Richmond, 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.

Pay by percentile

What auto mechanics in Richmond, VA 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	$36,550
25th percentile	$22.07	$45,910
Median (50th)	$29.57	$61,510
75th percentile	$36.54	$76,000
90th percentile	$39.35	$81,850

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

How Richmond, VA compares

Richmond ranks 2nd of 11 Virginia metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Richmond area as nationally: 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Richmond, VA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Elevator mechanic Heavy equipment operator Roofer Millwright

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Richmond or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $61,510 in Richmond and $61,860 in Washington, a 1% 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 40060 (Richmond, 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 (97.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures