Automotive service technicians & mechanics

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

763k

Average Age

39.3

Estimated Job Growth

−3.67%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$42,900

Average Male Salary

$43,031

Average Female Salary

$36,264

About

Automotive service technicians & mechanics are most often employed by the Automotive repair & maintenance industry. The average yearly wage for Automotive service technicians & mechanics was $42,900 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Automotive service technicians & mechanics by wage are Highway maintenance workers, Surgical technologists, and Miscellaneous law enforcement workers.

Automotive service technicians & mechanics are part of the Installation, maintenance, & repair occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of mechanics, installers, & repairers, Computer, automated teller, & office machine repairers, Radio & telecommunications equipment installers & repairers, Avionics technicians, Electric motor, power tool, & related repairers, and 26 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Automotive service technicians & mechanics are Jacksonville City PUMA, NC, Fremont City (East) PUMA, CA, and Oxnard & Port Hueneme Cities PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Automotive service technicians & mechanics are White, Jackson, Prairie & Woodruff Counties PUMA, AR, Jacksonville City PUMA, NC, and Escambia County (North) PUMA, FL.

Photo by Hillsboro Chamber

Natural resources, construction, & maintenance occupations Installation, maintenance, & repair occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Automotive service technicians & mechanics and on wages and locations for those in the field. Automotive repair & maintenance is the industry that employs the most Automotive service technicians & mechanics, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Automotive service technicians & mechanics, by average wage, is Electric & gas, and other combinations. Automotive service technicians & mechanics are paid most in Oakland (East) & Piedmont Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in White, Jackson, Prairie & Woodruff Counties PUMA, AR.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$42,900

AVERAGE SALARY

± $830

In 2020, Automotive service technicians & mechanics earned an average of $42,900, $13,054 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Highway maintenance workers make somewhat more than Automotive service technicians & mechanics while Surgical technologists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Automotive service technicians & mechanics as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.329

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Automotive service technicians & mechanics had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.329, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Automotive service technicians & mechanics (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Automotive service technicians & mechanics.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Automotive service technicians & mechanics

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Automotive service technicians & mechanics.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Automotive service technicians & mechanics, by number of employees, are Automotive repair & maintenance, Car Dealers, Automotive parts, accessories, & tire stores , Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing, Motor vehicle & motor vehicle parts & supplies merchant wholesalers, Truck transportation, Automotive equipment rental & leasing, Gasoline stations, Other motor vehicle dealers, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, and Postal Service.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Automotive service technicians & mechanics, by average wage, are Electric & gas, and other combinations, Wired telecommunications carriers, and Electric power generation, transmission & distribution.

Industries by Share

763k

2020 Workforce

± 21,388

0.0547%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.96%

The number of people employed as Automotive service technicians & mechanics has been growing at a rate of 0.0547%, from 762,427 people in 2019 to 762,844 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Automotive service technicians & mechanics employed by various industries. Automotive repair & maintenance employs the largest share of Automotive service technicians & mechanics at 56.1%, followed by Car Dealers with 26% and Automotive parts, accessories, & tire stores with 3.1%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Automotive service technicians & mechanics in the US. The average age of male Automotive service technicians & mechanics in the workforce is 39.4 and of female Automotive service technicians & mechanics is 36.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Automotive service technicians & mechanics is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

748k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 21,181

14.8k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 2,986

98.1% of Automotive service technicians & mechanics are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Automotive service technicians & mechanics.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Automotive service technicians & mechanics

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Other (Hispanic)

62.4% of Automotive service technicians & mechanics are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13.1% of Automotive service technicians & mechanics, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Automotive service technicians & mechanics.

Age by Sex

39.4

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.389

36.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.77

The median age of Automotive service technicians & mechanics is 39.3, and Male employees are generally 2.96 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Automotive service technicians & mechanics from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Automotive service technicians & mechanics is Business but a relatively high number of Automotive service technicians & mechanics hold a major in Mechanical Technologies.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Automotive service technicians & mechanics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Automotive service technicians & mechanics need many skills, but most especially Repairing, Troubleshooting, and Operation Monitoring. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Automotive service technicians & mechanics need more than the average amount of Installation, Repairing, and Equipment Maintenance.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics are expected to see a growth of −3.67% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics.

−3.67%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.