Auto Body Mechanic Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

A count of all the auto body mechanics in the US adds up to about 183,000 positions. The jobless rate for workers is rated as high. Approximately 4% of employees were not able to obtain work in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Auto body mechanics are most common (per capita) in Palm Coast (Florida), Great Falls (Montana), and Framingham (Massachusetts), and least common in Longview (Texas), Brownsville (Texas), and Kennewick (Washington).

Anchorage (Alaska), Boulder (Colorado), and Santa Rosa (California) offer the highest pay for this career, and Cape Coral (Florida), Sherman (Texas), and Yuma (Arizona) offer the lowest salaries.

Training and Education

Long-term on-the-job training is suggested for those who want to pursue this career. About 3% of auto body mechanics have earned a degree. Those that started college, but did not earn a bachelor's degree, represent about 23% of workers. Employees with a high school education, but no college education, are about 74% of the total. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Government stats show that 6% of auto body mechanics are working part-time. Workers who are self-employed total about 14%.

Auto Body Mechanics: An Introductory Video

Auto Body Mechanics Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of auto body mechanics compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for auto body mechanics.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$43,000	450
Mobile	$45,000	350
Montgomery	$37,000	180
Huntsville	$41,000	160
Auburn	$35,000	100
Tuscaloosa	$38,000	70
Decatur	$38,000	70
Dothan	$43,000	50
Anniston	$39,000	40
Gadsden	$38,000	30

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$57,000	180

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$38,000	1,730
Tucson	$43,000	440
Prescott	$49,000	100
Kingman	$29,000	70
Yuma	$22,000	60
Flagstaff	$42,000	50

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$38,000	320
Fort Smith	$39,000	120
Hot Springs	$28,000	50

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Riverside	$35,000	2,150
Santa Ana	$50,000	1,310
San Diego	$42,000	1,240
Oakland	$51,000	1,050
San Jose	$41,000	870
San Francisco	$52,000	860
Sacramento	$49,000	800
Fresno	$35,000	280
Stockton	$41,000	230
Modesto	$40,000	220
Bakersfield	$38,000	180
Vallejo	$52,000	150
Santa Rosa	$55,000	130
Santa Barbara	$48,000	120
Salinas	$45,000	100
Santa Cruz	$51,000	90
San Luis Obispo	$46,000	90
Redding	$48,000	70
Visalia	$43,000	70
Merced	$45,000	60
Chico	$40,000	60
Napa	$45,000	40

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$48,000	1,380
Colorado Springs	$47,000	240
Boulder	$63,000	140
Fort Collins	$48,000	110
Greeley	$50,000	80
Grand Junction	$46,000	50
Pueblo	$29,000	50

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Bridgeport	$44,000	550
Hartford	$47,000	520
New Haven	$38,000	330
Danbury	$46,000	160
Norwich	$36,000	160
Waterbury	$41,000	150

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$43,000	340
Dover	$37,000	80

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$54,000	1,700

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Tampa	$41,000	1,170
Miami	$33,000	1,150
Orlando	$34,000	1,130
Jacksonville	$38,000	710
Fort Lauderdale	$40,000	520
West Palm Beach	$33,000	480
Cape Coral	$30,000	310
Sarasota	$41,000	230
Pensacola	$42,000	200
Palm Bay	$37,000	190
Tallahassee	$36,000	180
Deltona	$32,000	140
Gainesville	$38,000	140
Lakeland	$44,000	130
Naples	$45,000	110
Ocala	$37,000	90
Panama City	$38,000	60
Fort Walton Beach	$51,000	60
Palm Coast	$37,000	40
Punta Gorda	$50,000	40

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$45,000	2,620
Augusta	$38,000	250
Savannah	$41,000	210
Columbus	$42,000	160
Macon	$37,000	130
Brunswick	$34,000	120
Athens	$41,000	110
Albany	$42,000	90
Valdosta	$28,000	80
Dalton	$35,000	70
Warner Robins	$34,000	50
Gainesville	$35,000	30

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$40,000	290

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Coeur Dalene	$34,000	60

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$45,000	3,800
Rockford	$46,000	170
Peoria	$44,000	160
Springfield	$43,000	140
Bloomington	$46,000	110
Champaign	$34,000	110
Kankakee	$36,000	70
Decatur	$45,000	50

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$45,000	730
Gary	$54,000	410
Fort Wayne	$39,000	270
Evansville	$38,000	260
Elkhart	$45,000	170
South Bend	$49,000	150
Lafayette	$38,000	90
Terre Haute	$38,000	90
Bloomington	$49,000	70
Anderson	$37,000	60
Muncie	$37,000	40
Columbus	$36,000	40
Kokomo	$45,000	40
Michigan City	$52,000	30

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$42,000	390
Davenport	$37,000	200
Cedar Rapids	$40,000	190
Waterloo	$33,000	170
Sioux City	$34,000	110
Iowa City	$38,000	100
Ames	$35,000	60

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$37,000	340

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$44,000	670
Lexington	$34,000	240
Owensboro	$37,000	50
Elizabethtown	$33,000	30

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$37,000	720
Baton Rouge	$41,000	350
Shreveport	$35,000	140
Lafayette	$38,000	120
Houma	$40,000	70
Lake Charles	$36,000	70
Monroe	$31,000	60

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$42,000	230
Bangor	$34,000	70

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$42,000	1,490
Bethesda	$46,000	580
Hagerstown	$34,000	150
Salisbury	$34,000	90
Cumberland	$29,000	50

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$44,000	1,820
Framingham	$45,000	520
Springfield	$43,000	510
Worcester	$38,000	310
Brockton	$40,000	180
Haverhill	$46,000	150
Barnstable Town	$44,000	100
New Bedford	$32,000	60
Taunton	$37,000	50
Leominster	$46,000	50
Lawrence	$58,000	50

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$52,000	1,600
Detroit	$42,000	1,120
Grand Rapids	$37,000	570
Flint	$40,000	360
Ann Arbor	$51,000	210
Lansing	$49,000	200
Holland	$49,000	180
Saginaw	$36,000	100
Kalamazoo	$50,000	90
Battle Creek	$37,000	80
Bay City	$27,000	70
Niles	$41,000	70
Monroe	$39,000	70
Jackson	$45,000	50

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$49,000	1,600
Duluth	$33,000	190
St Cloud	$36,000	130
Rochester	$40,000	110

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$32,000	310
Gulfport	$41,000	130
Pascagoula	$35,000	50
Hattiesburg	$33,000	50

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$47,000	2,140
Kansas City	$48,000	1,010
Springfield	$46,000	170
Columbia	$37,000	100
Jefferson City	$33,000	80

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Missoula	$35,000	120
Billings	$34,000	110
Great Falls	$31,000	100

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$37,000	560
Lincoln	$37,000	130

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$41,000	790
Reno	$38,000	240
Carson City	$40,000	30

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$36,000	190
Manchester	$41,000	150
Portsmouth	$41,000	60

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$35,000	1,580
Edison	$39,000	1,160
Camden	$42,000	830
Atlantic City	$39,000	90
Ocean City	$40,000	50
Vineland	$42,000	30

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$36,000	390
Las Cruces	$28,000	40

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$36,000	3,410
Nassau	$34,000	2,220
Buffalo	$36,000	720
Rochester	$42,000	720
Poughkeepsie	$37,000	530
Albany	$38,000	490
Syracuse	$38,000	470
Utica	$30,000	160
Binghamton	$30,000	140
Kingston	$35,000	60
Elmira	$32,000	50
Ithaca	$40,000	40

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$48,000	1,510
Raleigh	$38,000	600
Greensboro	$41,000	500
Winston Salem	$40,000	210
Asheville	$35,000	180
Durham	$35,000	180
Fayetteville	$38,000	170
Hickory	$35,000	150
Wilmington	$41,000	120
Rocky Mount		100
Jacksonville	$43,000	90
Goldsboro	$40,000	70
Greenville	$41,000	60
Burlington	$34,000	40

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$40,000	250
Bismarck	$39,000	110
Grand Forks	$38,000	60

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Columbus	$40,000	1,340
Cincinnati	$44,000	1,260
Cleveland	$42,000	1,100
Akron	$40,000	470
Toledo	$32,000	370
Dayton	$40,000	310
Youngstown	$35,000	200
Canton	$42,000	190
Springfield	$39,000	60
Lima	$38,000	50
Mansfield	$34,000	50
Sandusky	$34,000	40

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$34,000	1,180
Tulsa	$34,000	720
Lawton	$35,000	30

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$43,000	1,130
Salem	$40,000	160
Eugene	$46,000	160
Medford	$47,000	60
Bend	$42,000	50

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$45,000	2,110
Pittsburgh	$39,000	1,270
Allentown	$40,000	630
Reading	$39,000	480
Lancaster	$40,000	470
Harrisburg	$42,000	380
York	$39,000	310
Scranton	$32,000	300
Lebanon	$28,000	130
Erie	$34,000	110
Williamsport	$31,000	60
Johnstown	$31,000	60
State College	$34,000	40
Altoona	$37,000	30

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$36,000	930

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Greenville	$39,000	340
Charleston	$36,000	330
Columbia	$42,000	230
Myrtle Beach	$39,000	130
Spartanburg	$38,000	100
Florence	$37,000	90
Sumter	$37,000	50

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Rapid City	$34,000	140
Sioux Falls	$31,000	140

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$47,000	900
Memphis	$41,000	830
Knoxville	$39,000	750
Kingsport	$33,000	150
Chattanooga	$40,000	140
Clarksville	$43,000	110
Johnson City	$35,000	80
Morristown	$27,000	60
Jackson	$32,000	50

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$37,000	2,410
Dallas	$37,000	2,240
San Antonio	$38,000	980
Fort Worth	$37,000	800
Austin	$50,000	650
El Paso	$30,000	240
Lubbock	$49,000	180
Wichita Falls	$37,000	160
Waco	$41,000	160
Beaumont	$36,000	160
Mcallen	$31,000	160
Corpus Christi	$36,000	120
Killeen	$49,000	120
Tyler	$40,000	100
Amarillo	$34,000	90
Texarkana	$29,000	80
San Angelo		60
Abilene	$27,000	50
Midland	$32,000	50
Brownsville	$29,000	50
Odessa	$46,000	40
Longview	$35,000	40
Sherman	$29,000	40
Victoria	$34,000	40

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$37,000	860
Ogden	$43,000	220
Provo	$40,000	190
Logan	$35,000	110
St George	$33,000	100

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$31,000	190

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$52,000	750
Richmond	$43,000	510
Harrisonburg	$30,000	110
Blacksburg	$34,000	100
Charlottesville	$43,000	100
Winchester	$37,000	60

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$45,000	1,160
Tacoma	$43,000	270
Spokane	$41,000	180
Olympia	$44,000	130
Bremerton	$40,000	100
Mount Vernon	$41,000	70
Yakima	$43,000	70
Wenatchee	$34,000	40
Kennewick	$38,000	30

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$33,000	140
Huntington	$34,000	110
Morgantown	$30,000	110
Parkersburg	$33,000	100
Wheeling	$35,000	60

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$39,000	900
Madison	$38,000	290
Racine	$37,000	160
La Crosse	$37,000	120
Oshkosh	$34,000	120
Green Bay	$38,000	120
Wausau	$37,000	90
Appleton	$37,000	80
Sheboygan	$39,000	70
Eau Claire	$38,000	70
Janesville	$44,000	60
Fond	$37,000	50

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$41,000	50
Casper	$34,000	30

Our auto body mechanic career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.