Automotive mechanic salaries can depend on a number of factors, from your amount of education and experience on the job to the geographical location where you find employment. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates an auto mechanic salary range of more than $46,000, with the bottom ten percent of earners making $29,000 or less in 2021 and the top 10 percent taking home more than $75.100.
The national median auto mechanic salary was $46,880 in 2021, according to BLS data, but mechanics in certain regions of the country reported averages that were, in some cases, thousands of dollars higher per year than that figure. Here are the five states or regions in the U.S. that offered the highest average automotive mechanic salary in 2021:
| State | Automotive Salary in 2022 |
| Washington, D.C. | $60,590 |
| Alaska | $60,020 |
| California | $50,740 |
| New Jersey | $47,940 |
| Maryland | $47,930 |
Automotive mechanic salary expectations change based on the employing industry, as well. Here’s a list of the four highest-paying industries for mechanics and service techs, organized from densest employment concentration to least:
| Industry | Automotive Salary in 2022 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | $63,640 |
| Couriers and Express Delivery Services | $63,510 |
| Natural Gas Distribution | $66,280 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $73,860 |
Certification and amount of experience on the job tends to have a direct correlation with an auto/car mechanic’s salary, as well. HR analytics firm PayScale has crunched the salary numbers of variously tenured ASE certified Master Automotive Technicians and produced these median figures, current as of November 2021:
- 1-4 years of experience: $45,003
- 5-9 years of experience: $50,429
- 10-19 years of experience: $58,787
- 20+ years of experience: $59,760
Finding your highest possible auto or car mechanic salary may be as easy as completing an auto mechanic program that includes hands-on training and moving to an area where your skills are in high demand. Urban environments tend to be home to higher average auto mechanic salary ranges than rural zones, thanks in part to consumer access to newer vehicles and generally larger groups of potential customers per repair shop.
Fairbanks, Alaska and the area around the San Francisco Bay offered the largest number of well-paying auto mechanic jobs, according to 2016 BLS numbers. A total of 10,280 working auto mechanics in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose combined to report an average yearly pay of $54,200, while the average of $57,420 was taken from just 250 individual auto mechanic salaries.
Sources:
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/automotive-service-technicians-and-mechanics.htm, accessed November 2017
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, Occupational Employment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes493023.htm, accessed November 2021
- Average Salary for Certification: ASE Master Technician, PayScale, http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=ASE_Master_Technician/Salary#by_Years_Experience, accessed November 2017