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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.
Job requirement |
Percent |
---|---|
High school diploma |
58.7% |
On-the-job training |
76.7 |
Exposed to hazardous contaminants |
86.1 |
Percent of day spent standing/walking |
86.7 |
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.
Metropolitan area |
Average wage |
---|---|
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
$27.33 |
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
26.90 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
26.25 |
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
22.18 |
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL |
16.88 |
El Paso, TX |
16.42 |
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA |
15.87 |
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.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Job requirements and wages for auto mechanics in 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/job-requirements-and-wages-for-auto-mechanics-in-2018.htm (visited December 03, 2024).