Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for automotive service technicians and mechanicss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $56,420 ≈ $27/hr
National median salary $50,620
Total employment 704,640 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +4.2% Faster than average
Annual openings 70,000 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 805,600 → 839,200 (+33,600)
Typical entry education Postsecondary nondegree award

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. District of Columbia$67,910
  2. Alaska$65,620
  3. California$65,470
  4. Colorado$63,980
  5. Oregon$63,210

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. West Virginia$44,080
  2. Mississippi$45,650
  3. Kentucky$47,990
  4. Arkansas$48,420
  5. Louisiana$50,650
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 District of Columbia $67,910 $68,660 $33 +20.4% 310
2 Alaska $65,620 $60,840 $32 +16.3% 1,420
3 California $65,470 $64,980 $31 +16% 65,420
4 Colorado $63,980 $61,280 $31 +13.4% 12,300
5 Oregon $63,210 $58,520 $30 +12% 6,990
6 Massachusetts $62,960 $60,760 $30 +11.6% 12,710
7 Washington $62,460 $57,270 $30 +10.7% 12,930
8 Virginia $61,600 $59,330 $30 +9.2% 17,880
9 New Hampshire $60,690 $59,020 $29 +7.6% 4,840
10 Connecticut $60,160 $60,220 $29 +6.6% 6,960
11 Maryland $59,380 $57,520 $29 +5.2% 14,230
12 Montana $59,310 $58,740 $29 +5.1% 2,900
13 Minnesota $59,300 $58,390 $29 +5.1% 11,980
14 New York $59,110 $54,120 $28 +4.8% 32,020
15 New Jersey $58,830 $56,610 $28 +4.3% 17,640

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 521 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $77,840 $75,410 3,040
2 Napa, CA $76,450 $71,100 160
3 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $76,030 $75,730 7,270
4 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $75,080 $70,890 1,000
5 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $72,020 $68,380 4,870
6 Alaska nonmetropolitan area $71,340 $69,000 300
7 Vallejo, CA $69,710 $68,130 760
8 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA $65,160 $63,260 1,450
9 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $64,320 $64,120 4,910
10 North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area $64,240 $63,980 440

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing automotive service technicians and mechanicss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Natural Gas Distribution $105,550 $105,390 80
2 Sector 51 - Information $100,570 $89,830 250
3 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $98,770 $90,710
4 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $95,500 $91,000 990
5 Utilities $94,910 $89,720 1,140
6 Sector 22 - Utilities $94,910 $89,720 1,140
7 Telecommunications $94,620 $87,690 150
8 Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing $91,090 $81,820
9 Scientific Research and Development Services $90,190 $90,430 120
10 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences $90,190 $90,430 120
11 Couriers and Express Delivery Services $87,610 $83,480 2,030
12 Couriers and Messengers $85,370 $78,710 2,380

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
275,054
$10-20k
70,092
$20-30k
96,313
$30-40k
144,140
$40-50k
129,548
$50-60k
100,149
$60-70k
76,635
$70-80k
55,041
$80-90k
32,891
$90-100k
24,470
$100-110k
18,914
$110-120k
8,920
$120-130k
9,642
$130-140k
5,947
$140-150k
1,846
$150-160k
1,761
$160-170k
1,716
$170-180k
419
$180-190k
588
$190-200k
81
$200k+
3,952

Pay by age band

16-24
$27,696
25-34
$43,441
35-44
$45,939
45-54
$43,849
55-64
$37,628
65+
$20,497

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$38,004
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$41,275
Associates Degree
$49,550
Some college, but less than 1 year
$42,715
GED or alternative credential
$36,305
12th grade - no diploma
$33,435
Bachelors Degree
$40,679
Grade 11
$24,141
No schooling completed
$29,191
Grade 10
$24,528
Grade 9
$26,943
Grade 6
$25,126
Grade 8
$30,875
Masters Degree
$33,004
Grade 5
$18,487
Grade 7
$24,447
Grade 3
$33,260
Professional degree
$38,744
Grade 4
$27,331
Nursery school, preschool
$12,403
Grade 2
$40,648
Doctorate degree
$64,926
Grade 1
$24,981
Kindergarten
$6,312

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
725,323 · $52,862
Part-time
73,425 · $20,595

Race / ethnicity

White
$41,122
Two or More Races
$34,741
Other
$35,958
Black
$28,988
Asian
$43,588
American Indian
$35,281
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$28,797
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$35,270
Alaska Native
$42,229

Top fields of study

Mechanical Engineering
$37,923
Business Management And Administration
$52,230
General Business
$28,556
Biology
$44,674
Electrical Mechanical And Precision Technologies And Production
$58,769
Psychology
$76,611
General Engineering
$43,616
Criminal Justice And Fire Protection
$31,619

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Repairing
3.8
Troubleshooting
3.6
Critical Thinking
3.5
Operations Monitoring
3.5
Equipment Maintenance
3.4
Judgment and Decision Making
3.3
Operation and Control
3.3
Active Listening
3.3
Monitoring
3.3
Complex Problem Solving
3.1
Quality Control Analysis
3.1
Speaking
3.1

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do automotive service technicians and mechanics make in the U.S.?

The median automotive service technicians and mechanics salary in the United States is $50,620 per year (mean $56,420), and about 80% earn between $34,660 and $81,790.

How much do automotive service technicians and mechanics make per hour?

Roughly $27 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $56,420 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays automotive service technicians and mechanics the most?

District of Columbia has the highest average pay for automotive service technicians and mechanics at $67,910 per year (median $68,660).

What is the job outlook for automotive service technicians and mechanics?

Employment is projected to change +4.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 70,000 openings per year.