Automotive service technicians and mechanics represented a substantial U.S. occupation in the latest federal employment data. The occupation had 825,800 workers in 2025, a projected 5.0% growth rate through 2035, and a median annual wage of $50,620 in May 2025. The statistics below describe the occupation’s size, outlook, pay, workplaces, workforce profile, preparation, and daily conditions.
Contents
- Workforce size and outlook
- Pay levels and distribution
- Where technicians work
- Demographic profile
- Age distribution
- Education, skills, and preparation
- Work conditions and job context
Workforce size and outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted 825,800 automotive service technicians and mechanics in the United States in 2025. In the BLS 2025 projections matrix, the occupation accounted for 0.5% of U.S. employment. Self-employed workers represented 14.6% of the occupation in that matrix. These figures provide a national snapshot of the occupation and include the broader occupational classification of automotive service technicians and mechanics.
The BLS projects employment to reach 866,700 in 2035. That is an increase of 40,900 jobs between 2025 and 2035, corresponding to projected growth of 5.0% over the period. The occupation is projected to account for 0.5% of U.S. employment in 2035 as well. The projection is an estimate, not a guarantee of individual hiring outcomes or local job availability.
The BLS also projects an average of 66,200 openings per year from 2025 through 2035. Annual openings are a broader measure than net job growth: they can include positions created by growth as well as openings associated with workers leaving or changing jobs. For career planning, that distinction matters because a steady flow of openings does not mean every region or employer will have the same demand.
Source: BLS, Occupational projections and worker characteristics (2025 data and 2025–2035 forecasts).
Pay levels and distribution
In May 2025, the median annual wage for automotive service technicians and mechanics was $50,620. The corresponding median hourly wage was $24.34. The median divides the occupation into two equal groups: half of workers earned more and half earned less. It is not an entry-level wage, a guaranteed offer, or a measure of take-home pay.
The wage distribution was broad. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $34,660 annually, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $81,790. These percentile figures show why pay can differ considerably by experience, employer, location, specialization, compensation system, and work setting. The supplied BLS figures identify the thresholds but do not explain how much of the difference came from any one factor.
Employer industry was associated with different median annual wages in May 2025:
| Work setting | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Automobile dealerships | $59,920 |
| Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance | $49,630 |
| Automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers | $45,700 |
| Other automotive repair and maintenance | $35,730 |
The dealership median was the highest among the listed settings, while the median for other automotive repair and maintenance was the lowest. These are occupation-level medians within the named industries, not salary ranges for every job. They should be compared with care because the categories may contain different employers, job mixes, and compensation arrangements.
Source: BLS, Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (May 2025 wage data).
Where technicians work
May 2023 BLS industry data show that automobile dealers employed 250,180 automotive service technicians and mechanics. Automotive repair and maintenance employed another 236,770. Automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers employed 50,230. Smaller listed employment groups included local government, excluding schools and hospitals, with 16,020 workers, and motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies merchant wholesalers, with 12,320.
The occupation made up 19.79% of employment in automobile dealerships in May 2023. It made up 23.66% of employment in automotive repair and maintenance. Those percentages describe the occupation’s share within each industry, rather than the share of all technicians who worked there.
ONET reported a different high-level industry distribution for automotive service technicians and mechanics: 44% in retail trade, 30% in other services excluding public administration, and 26% in other industries. This distribution comes from ONET’s current industry information and uses broad groupings, so it should not be treated as a direct replacement for the BLS May 2023 employment counts. The two sources use different data systems, time labels, and category structures.
| Selected industry measure | Reported result | Period or source frame |
|---|---|---|
| Automobile dealers employment | 250,180 | May 2023 BLS |
| Automotive repair and maintenance employment | 236,770 | May 2023 BLS |
| Automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers employment | 50,230 | May 2023 BLS |
| Retail trade share | 44% | O*NET current distribution |
Sources: BLS, Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (May 2023); O*NET, Industries: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (current industry distribution).
Demographic profile
The 2024 annual average Current Population Survey counted 914,000 employed automotive service technicians and mechanics. In that survey, women represented 3.2% of employed workers in the occupation. White workers represented 82.9%, Black or African American workers 9.9%, and Asian workers 3.6%. Hispanic or Latino workers represented 30.4%.
These categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive in the way they are presented: Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity, while White, Black or African American, and Asian are race categories. Consequently, the percentages should not be added together to create a single workforce total. The survey’s annual-average count also differs from the BLS projections matrix’s 2025 count of 825,800 because the measures refer to different years, sources, and statistical frameworks.
The figures are useful for describing representation, but they do not explain why the workforce has this composition or whether representation is changing. They also do not measure every aspect of inclusion, hiring access, retention, or advancement.
Source: BLS, Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (2024 annual average).
Age distribution
The 2024 annual-average Current Population Survey listed the following counts by age:
| Age group | Workers |
|---|---|
| 16 to 19 | 44,000 |
| 20 to 24 | 115,000 |
| 25 to 34 | 234,000 |
| 35 to 44 | 199,000 |
| 45 to 54 | 165,000 |
| 55 to 64 | 121,000 |
| 65 and over | 36,000 |
Workers ages 25 to 34 were the largest listed age group, at 234,000. The median age of automotive service technicians and mechanics was 38.9 years. The age counts describe the annual-average employed workforce in 2024; they are not a forecast of retirements, training needs, or future hiring.
Because the figures are presented in age bands, they do not show the exact distribution within each band. They also should not be used to infer an individual technician’s likely career length. For someone considering the occupation, the data do show that the workforce includes early-career workers, several sizable middle-career groups, and workers age 65 and over.
Source: BLS, Employed persons by detailed occupation and age (2024 annual average).
Education, skills, and preparation
O*NET respondent data show varied reported education requirements for a new automotive service technician hire. Thirty-two percent of respondents said a postsecondary certificate was required. Thirty percent said less than a high school diploma was required, and 26% said a high school diploma or equivalent was required. These results describe respondent reports, not a universal licensing or hiring rule for every employer.
ONET’s current ratings also gave deductive reasoning an importance score of 75, near vision an importance score of 75, and problem sensitivity an importance score of 75 for automotive service technicians and mechanics. The scores indicate the importance ratings reported in ONET’s occupational profile; they are not percentages of technicians who possess a skill and do not establish a pass mark for employment.
Taken together, these measures point to a role that can have varied formal-entry expectations while still placing substantial importance on reasoning, visual capability, and recognizing when something may be wrong. The data do not identify a single best training route, and they do not quantify how certificates, diplomas, experience, or employer training affect pay or advancement.
Source: O*NET, 49-3023.00 - Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (current respondent data and ratings).
Work conditions and job context
O*NET’s current work-context data describe frequent physical, safety, communication, and time demands. Eighty-six percent of automotive service technicians and mechanics wear common protective or safety equipment every day. Eighty-three percent work in an enclosed vehicle or operate enclosed equipment every day, and 83% use their hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls continually or almost continually.
Face-to-face communication is also common: 76% have face-to-face discussions with individuals and teams every day. Sixty-nine percent are exposed to contaminants every day. O*NET reported distracting or uncomfortable noise every day for 51% of workers.
The occupation can involve sustained movement and deadline pressure. Forty-three percent spend time standing continually or almost continually, while 49% make repetitive motions continually or almost continually. Strict deadlines are faced every day by 52%, and 52% typically work more than 40 hours per week. O*NET also rated exactness or accuracy as extremely important for 46% of automotive service technicians and mechanics.
These percentages describe reported work contexts rather than a single schedule or shop layout. Conditions can vary by employer and assignment. Still, the combination of protective equipment, hand use, contaminants, noise, standing, repetitive motion, accuracy, deadlines, and longer-than-40-hour workweeks provides a measurable picture of the demands that may accompany automotive technician work.
Source: O*NET, 49-3023.00 - Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (current work-context data).