How Much Do Mechanics Make an Hour? Auto Mechanic Pay Calculator

Automotive service technicians and mechanics earned a median of $24.34 an hour in May 2025, $50,620 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count of 704,640 on payrolls. Pay climbs steeply at the top: the 75th percentile is $33.86 and the 90th $39.32, against $16.66 at the bottom. BLS counts piece rates and production bonuses as wages, so flat-rate earnings are in these figures.

Mechanics: pay at every level

This is the BLS line for automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023) on employers' payrolls: cars and light trucks. Diesel, heavy-equipment and small-engine mechanics are separate lines, and the 15% who are self-employed aren't counted. Piece rates and production bonuses — how flat-rate pay works — are included in BLS wages; tool allowances are not (BLS OEWS FAQ). Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.

Mechanic pay by state

Washington, D.C. ($33.01), California ($31.24) and Colorado ($29.46) pay mechanics the most; West Virginia ($18.11) and Mississippi ($18.18) the least. Texas employs the most mechanics, 69,750, at $23.23, a little under the national median; California, nearly as large, pays $31.24.

Which employers pay mechanics most

Dealerships pay mechanics the most, $59,920 — about $10,290 more than independent repair and maintenance shops ($49,630). Parts, accessories and tire retailers pay $45,700 and other automotive repair and maintenance businesses $35,730 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).

A mechanic's schedule

Most service technicians work full time, and evening or weekend work may be required. They work in repair shops, often standing all day with heavy parts and in awkward positions, and have one of the highest injury rates of any occupation (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). Automobile dealers employ 32% of mechanics, repair and maintenance shops 25%, and 15% are self-employed.

Overtime for mechanics

Where you work decides whether you get overtime. Federal law exempts mechanics servicing cars and trucks at businesses primarily engaged in selling vehicles to the people who buy them — dealerships — from overtime, though not from the minimum wage (DOL Handy Reference Guide to the FLSA). Mechanics at independent shops, tire and parts retailers and fleets are generally owed time and a half after 40 hours. Dealership or not, pay for the week — flat-rate included — must cover at least the federal minimum wage for the hours worked (DOL Handy Reference Guide to the FLSA).

Flat-rate pay: what mechanics need per flagged hour

Some shops pay by the hour, others by the work completed (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook) — usually a rate per flagged hour, the book time for each job. What that's worth depends on how many flagged hours you turn in each clock hour. The table shows the flat rate needed to match the BLS median hourly wage at different efficiencies, and what you'd earn per clock hour if your flat rate equaled that median. It's arithmetic, not a survey of shop rates.

Training, licenses and pay

Most mechanics complete an automotive service technology program at a high school, community college or technical institute, leading to a certificate or associate's degree; some programs are run with manufacturers or dealers. Others start as trainees or lube techs and learn on the job, and some do apprenticeships. The EPA requires certification to work with refrigerants, and employers may require or pay for industry certifications in areas such as brakes, transmissions and electrical systems, which the OOH says can bring higher pay (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).

Related tools and guides

More ways to work with your mechanic pay:

• How much mobile mechanics make (side business)
• Overtime pay calculator
• Take-home pay calculator (2026 federal tax)
• Ways to make money with your car
• Hourly pay by job: all the BLS pay calculators