Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$50,620

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$38,900 – $70,430

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

704,640

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+5%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

66,200

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Postsecondary nondegree award

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles.

Main tasks

• 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.
• Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
• Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
• Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
• Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
• Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
• Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
• Align vehicles' front ends.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Postsecondary nondegree award

Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 8 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

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