Careers / Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Automotive Body and Related Repairers — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$54,890

United States, 2025

Employment

149,310

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.

O*NET code
49-3021.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
None

Typical tasks

  • Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders.
  • File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools.
  • Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.
  • Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.
  • Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take.
  • Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint.
  • Chain or clamp frames and sections to alignment machines that use hydraulic pressure to align damaged components.
  • Position dolly blocks against surfaces of dented areas and beat opposite surfaces to remove dents, using hammers.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$36,910
10th
$45,750
25th
$54,890
Median
$69,200
75th
$87,940
90th

10th percentile

$36,910

25th percentile

$45,750

75th percentile

$69,200

90th percentile

$87,940

Most important skills

  • Repairing3.3
  • Troubleshooting3.1
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Time Management3.0
  • Speaking3.0
  • Critical Thinking3.0
  • Operations Monitoring3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Quality Control Analysis3.0
  • Complex Problem Solving2.9
  • Social Perceptiveness2.9
  • Coordination2.9

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 9 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

9

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Repairing3.33.3Not selected3.3
Troubleshooting3.13.0Not selected3.0
Active Listening3.03.0Not selected3.0
Critical Thinking3.03.0Not selected3.0
Quality Control Analysis3.03.0Not selected3.0
Operations Monitoring3.02.9Not selected2.9
Monitoring3.02.9Not selected2.9
Time Management3.02.8Not selected2.8
Speaking3.02.8Not selected2.8

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Hinesville, GA$81,790302025
Santa Rosa, CA$78,0602602025
San Jose, CA$76,8006102025
San Francisco, CA$76,7402,6802025
Vallejo, CA$73,8901602025
RI$72,4908002025
Modesto, CA$68,6401802025
El Centro, CA$68,410502025
San Luis Obispo, CA$67,790802025
Los Angeles, CA$67,0904,2702025
CA$66,86014,0502025
Atlantic City, NJ$66,3401302025
Kahului, HI$64,980602025
Seattle, WA$64,5901,3402025
Chico, CA$64,420402025
St. Louis, MO$63,9201,9502025
Stockton, CA$63,8102602025
Fresno, CA$63,6703102025
Santa Maria, CA$63,3601202025
Charleston, SC$63,0806602025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Automotive Body and Related Repairers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.