Median pay for automotive technicians runs from $21,840 in Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area to $77,840 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 3.56× range across 527 metropolitan areas. The national median of $50,620 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of automotive technicians earn below $34,660 and ten per cent above $81,790 — a 2.36× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 62%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
8 of the ten best-paying metros for automotive technicians are in CA. When one state dominates the top of the table like this, cost of living is doing part of the work but rarely all of it — state licensing rules, public-sector pay scales and the presence of a few large employers usually explain the rest. If you are comparing an offer in CA against one elsewhere, adjust for housing before concluding anything.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $77,840 | $37.42 | 0.59 | 3,040 |
| Napa CA | $76,450 | $36.75 | 0.47 | 160 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $76,030 | $36.55 | 0.68 | 7,270 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $75,080 | $36.10 | 1.07 | 1,000 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $72,020 | $34.63 | 0.99 | 4,870 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $71,340 | $34.30 | 0.6 | 300 |
| Vallejo CA | $69,710 | $33.51 | 1.16 | 760 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA | $65,160 | $31.33 | 0.99 | 1,450 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $64,320 | $30.92 | 0.7 | 4,910 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $64,240 | $30.88 | 0.93 | 440 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $64,210 | $30.87 | 0.99 | 7,680 |
| Hanford-Corcoran CA | $64,090 | $30.81 | 0.78 | 170 |
| Boulder CO | $63,950 | $30.74 | 0.77 | 670 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $63,510 | $30.54 | 0.98 | 580 |
| Chico CA | $63,070 | $30.32 | 0.9 | 320 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $63,060 | $30.32 | 0.76 | 9,360 |
| Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $62,870 | $30.23 | 0.87 | 160 |
| Stockton-Lodi CA | $62,840 | $30.21 | 1 | 1,310 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $62,820 | $30.20 | 0.79 | 22,330 |
| Modesto CA | $62,770 | $30.18 | 1.16 | 1,030 |
| Salinas CA | $62,770 | $30.18 | 0.73 | 620 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha WI | $62,530 | $30.06 | 0.85 | 3,170 |
| Bakersfield-Delano CA | $62,450 | $30.02 | 0.81 | 1,250 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $62,440 | $30.02 | 0.8 | 1,460 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $61,960 | $29.79 | 0.87 | 6,340 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $21,840 | $10.50 | 0.77 | 100 |
| Ponce PR | $21,920 | $10.54 | 0.86 | 250 |
| Aguadilla PR | $22,030 | $10.59 | 1.07 | 240 |
| Arecibo PR | $22,340 | $10.74 | 1.29 | 200 |
| Mayaguez PR | $22,400 | $10.77 | 0.93 | 220 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $22,760 | $10.94 | 0.88 | 2,750 |
| West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $36,390 | $17.50 | 1.72 | 720 |
| Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $37,020 | $17.80 | 1.4 | 930 |
| East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $37,030 | $17.80 | 1.23 | 510 |
| Morgantown WV | $37,060 | $17.82 | 1.17 | 360 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ | $46,670 | $22.44 | 2.1 | 540 |
| Southwestern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area | $54,720 | $26.31 | 2.1 | 420 |
| Fayetteville NC | $46,870 | $22.53 | 2.05 | 1,220 |
| Punta Gorda FL | $46,190 | $22.21 | 2.01 | 520 |
| Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $49,980 | $24.03 | 2.01 | 1,720 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $37,250 | $17.91 | 1.99 | 330 |
| Beckley WV | $37,340 | $17.95 | 1.96 | 380 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum NY | $47,280 | $22.73 | 1.94 | 350 |
| Lower West Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $37,720 | $18.14 | 1.93 | 700 |
| Abilene TX | $46,190 | $22.21 | 1.9 | 650 |
| Ocala FL | $45,900 | $22.07 | 1.87 | 1,030 |
| Homosassa Springs FL | $46,150 | $22.19 | 1.86 | 300 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $57,760 | $27.77 | 0.66 | 28,420 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $62,820 | $30.20 | 0.79 | 22,330 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $55,320 | $26.60 | 0.98 | 20,140 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $49,720 | $23.90 | 0.96 | 17,690 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $50,940 | $24.49 | 1 | 14,910 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $58,460 | $28.11 | 0.97 | 12,700 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $51,450 | $24.73 | 0.94 | 12,310 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $61,860 | $29.74 | 0.85 | 12,030 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $49,550 | $23.82 | 0.94 | 11,970 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $50,090 | $24.08 | 1.05 | 11,340 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $56,000 | $26.92 | 1.1 | 9,520 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $63,060 | $30.32 | 0.76 | 9,360 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 49-3023. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 527 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.