How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Wausau, WI?

The median hourly wage is $25.53. The middle half earn between $20.02 and $30.32 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Wausau, WI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.53 an hour ($36,450 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.02.

Do auto mechanics make more in Wausau or Milwaukee?

Milwaukee pays more: the median is $53,100 in Wausau and $62,530 in Milwaukee, a 15% difference.

How does Wausau pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?

The Wausau median of $53,100 is 2% less than the Wisconsin median of $54,350.

Auto mechanic salary in Wausau, WI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Wausau, WI area earn a median of $53,100 a year, or $25.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $78,530. Across all of Wisconsin, the median is $54,350, so Wausau pays 2% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$53,100

Bottom 10% under$36,450Top 10% over$78,530

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $17.53/hr
Jobs in this area: 340
After cost of living: $57,310
Median hourly pay: $25.53/hr
vs U.S. median: +5%
vs Wisconsin median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48140, Wausau, WI). 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	$36,450–$41,640$17.53–$20.02/hr
Experienced technician	$53,100$25.53/hr
Master / top earners	$63,060–$78,530$30.32–$37.76/hr

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

How Wausau, WI compares

Wausau ranks 9th of 15 Wisconsin metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
Auto mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Wausau area as nationally: 4.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $78,530, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,450: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Wausau, WI

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

Questions

How much do auto mechanics make in Wausau, WI?: Auto mechanics in the Wausau, WI area earn a median of $53,100 a year, or $25.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $78,530.
How much do auto mechanics make an hour in Wausau, WI?: The median hourly wage is $25.53. The middle half earn between $20.02 and $30.32 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level auto mechanics make in Wausau, WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.53 an hour ($36,450 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $20.02.
Do auto mechanics make more in Wausau or Milwaukee?: Milwaukee pays more: the median is $53,100 in Wausau and $62,530 in Milwaukee, a 15% difference.
How does Wausau pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?: The Wausau median of $53,100 is 2% less than the Wisconsin median of $54,350.

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 48140 (Wausau, WI). 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