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Automotive Body and Related Repairers Career, Salary and Skills

Automotive Body and Related Repairers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $54,890 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 149,310. Wage data is published for 415 locations.

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Occupation description

Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.

O*NET code

49-3021.00

Job zone

2

Typical education

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

Experience

None

National salary and employment

Median annual

$54,890

Hourly median

$26.39

Employment

149,310

Data year

2025

National salary distribution

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

Top skills

SkillImportanceLevel
Repairing3.253.25
Troubleshooting3.123.00
Time Management3.002.75
Active Listening3.003.00
Quality Control Analysis3.003.00
Critical Thinking3.003.00
Operations Monitoring3.002.88
Speaking3.002.75
Monitoring3.002.88
Reading Comprehension2.882.88
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Typical tasks

  • 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.
  • Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders.
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Technology

  • Accounts receivable software
  • Appointment scheduling software
  • Automotive and Accounting Software by R*KOM Invoice Writer
  • AutoZone ALLDATA
  • Collision damage estimation software
  • Collision damage measurement software
  • Equipment management information software
  • Materials management software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft OneNote
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Microsoft Word
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Automotive Body and Related Repairers salary by location

Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.

All 415 locations →

Related careers

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.