Job requirements and wages for auto mechanics in 2018

There are nearly as many registered vehicles in the United States as there are people. The estimated 770,100 automotive service technicians and mechanics in 2018 play a vital role in keeping the nation moving. More than half (58.7 percent) of automotive service technicians and mechanics were required to have at least a high school diploma in 2018. More than three-quarters (76.7 percent) of these workers were required to have on-the-job training. Most of these workers (86.1 percent) were exposed to hazardous contaminants like fumes and liquids that have a negative impact on eyes, skin, or the respiratory system when inhaled, ingested, or contacted.

Automotive service technicians and mechanics who worked full time in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California, metropolitan area earned among the highest average hourly rates, $27.33 per hour. Full-time auto mechanics in the Scranton—Wilkes-Barre—Hazleton, Pennsylvania, metro area earned among the lowest wages, $15.87. Auto mechanics in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Michigan, averaged $22.18 per hour.

By state, automotive service technicians and mechanics in Alaska earned among the highest wages, $27.00 per hour, while workers in West Virginia earned among the lowest hourly wages, $16.22. Automotive service technicians and mechanics in Michigan earned an average hourly wage of $20.63. The national average hourly wage for automotive service technicians and mechanics was $21.14.

These data are from the Occupational Requirements Survey and the Modeled Wage Estimates. Wage data for automotive service technicians include all job levels and only full-time workers.