Automotive Service Technician and Mechanic Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics earn a median of $50,620 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), close to the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $24.34/hr. The middle half earn between $38,900 and $70,430. The top 10% earn $81,790 or more.

The median hourly wage for automotive service technicians and mechanics is $24.34 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $50,620 annual median works out to about $4,220 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of automotive service technicians and mechanics earn less than $34,660 a year and the bottom quarter less than $38,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Rarely. Even the 90th percentile is $81,790, so fewer than 10% of automotive service technicians and mechanics earn $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No state's median reaches $100,000; the highest is District of Columbia at $68,660.

The highest state medians for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics are District of Columbia ($68,660), California ($64,980), Colorado ($61,280) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $64,479.

BLS does not split automotive service technicians and mechanics' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $81,790, against a median of $50,620 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are District of Columbia ($68,660), California ($64,980), Colorado ($61,280). BLS also counts 3 specialty careers inside this occupation (electric vehicle technician, pit crew member, race car mechanic), which share its federal pay figures.

Not a degree, but you do need credentialed training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or license program) as the typical entry route for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training.

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for auto mechanics is a postsecondary nondegree award. Once hired, BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing medium preparation.

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.0% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 66,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Automotive service technicians and mechanics, often called service technicians or service techs, inspect, maintain, and repair cars and light trucks. A core O*NET task: follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software, Internet browser software.

Most work more than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 52% of automotive service technicians and mechanics usually work more than 40 hours a week, 48% work exactly 40 and 0% work fewer. 96% say their schedule is regular and 0% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Not a state license. BLS lists no state licence for automotive service technicians. The federal refrigerant certification is uniform nationwide. What does vary is state vehicle inspection and emissions programmes: states that run periodic safety or emissions inspections license or certify the inspectors who perform them, which is a credential attached to the inspection station and the inspection task rather than to the job of mechanic. Some states and cities also regulate auto repair shops as businesses, again separately from the technicians they employ.

The A-series (ASE Automobile and Light Truck certification tests (A1 to A9)) and the EPA section 609 certification exam. Nine tests of 40 to 50 scored questions each, plus 10 unscored research questions you are not told the identity of. Certification requires a passing score and documented work experience; test first and you receive only a score report until the experience form is filed. Tests are taken in person at a Prometric test center or, for those eligible, by online remote proctoring.

Women make up 1.8% of automotive service technicians and mechanics, against 47.1% of all employed people: a heavily male-dominated occupation. Only 18.0% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs): a young workforce. The median worker is 40.3 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.