Careers / Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.

Median annual wage

$50,620

United States, 2025

Employment

704,640

United States, 2025

Typical education

Not recorded

Job Zone 3

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles.

O*NET code
49-3023.00
Job zone
3
Experience required
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

Typical tasks

  • Follow checklists to ensure all important parts are examined, including belts, hoses, steering systems, spark plugs, brake and fuel systems, wheel bearings, and other potentially troublesome areas.
  • Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
  • Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
  • Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
  • Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
  • Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
  • Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
  • Align vehicles' front ends.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$34,660
10th
$38,900
25th
$50,620
Median
$70,430
75th
$81,790
90th

10th percentile

$34,660

25th percentile

$38,900

75th percentile

$70,430

90th percentile

$81,790

Most important skills

  • Repairing3.9
  • Troubleshooting3.9
  • Equipment Maintenance3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.5
  • Operations Monitoring3.4
  • Active Listening3.3
  • Complex Problem Solving3.3
  • Quality Control Analysis3.3
  • Installation3.3
  • Operation and Control3.3
  • Monitoring3.1
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.0

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 18 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

18

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
Repairing3.93.9Not selected3.9
Troubleshooting3.93.9Not selected3.9
Equipment Maintenance3.83.6Not selected3.6
Critical Thinking3.53.8Not selected3.8
Installation3.33.4Not selected3.4
Quality Control Analysis3.33.3Not selected3.3
Operations Monitoring3.43.1Not selected3.1
Complex Problem Solving3.33.1Not selected3.1
Active Listening3.33.0Not selected3.0
Operation and Control3.33.0Not selected3.0
Monitoring3.13.0Not selected3.0
Active Learning3.03.1Not selected3.1
Judgment and Decision Making3.03.0Not selected3.0
Speaking3.03.0Not selected3.0
Systems Evaluation3.03.0Not selected3.0
Equipment Selection3.03.0Not selected3.0
Systems Analysis3.03.0Not selected3.0
Time Management3.02.8Not 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
San Jose, CA$77,8403,0402025
Napa, CA$76,4501602025
San Francisco, CA$76,0307,2702025
Santa Rosa, CA$75,0801,0002025
Sacramento, CA$72,0204,8702025
Vallejo, CA$69,7107602025
DC$68,6603102025
Oxnard, CA$65,1601,4502025
CA$64,98065,4202025
San Diego, CA$64,3204,9102025
Riverside, CA$64,2107,6802025
Hanford, CA$64,0901702025
Boulder, CO$63,9506702025
Chico, CA$63,0703202025
Boston, MA$63,0609,3602025
Stockton, CA$62,8401,3102025
Los Angeles, CA$62,82022,3302025
Salinas, CA$62,7706202025
Modesto, CA$62,7701,0302025
Milwaukee, WI$62,5303,1702025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics 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.