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Role hub · Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics

Mechanic: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

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Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of mechanics earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$50,620
Hourly
$24.34
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Mechanics diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles. The median pay is $50,620 a year ($24.34 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$50,620
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
704,640
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation

Data Government data groups this job as Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (O*NET-SOC 49-3023.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Mechanics

SalaryMechanic salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →ResumeMechanic resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsMechanic interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Career changeMechanic career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What mechanics do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. 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.
  2. Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
  3. Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
  4. Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
  5. Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
  6. Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
  7. Repair, replace, or adjust defective fuel injectors, carburetor parts, and gasoline filters.
  8. Align vehicles' front ends.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

TroubleshootingcoreRepairingcoreEquipment MaintenancecoreCritical ThinkingOperations MonitoringComplex Problem SolvingInstallationOperation and ControlQuality Control Analysis

Knowledge areas: Mechanical, Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Mathematics.

Tools and technology

Software mechanics use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Alliance Automotive Shop ControllerFacilities management software
  • Amcom AUTOS2000Facilities management software
  • Blue Streak Electronics Buell DiagnosticAnalytical or scientific software
  • CODA Engine Analysis SystemAnalytical or scientific software
  • Genisys Fast FixesData base reporting software
  • Hunter WinAlignAnalytical or scientific software
  • Mainsaver Asset ManagementFacilities management software
  • Mitchell Manager Invoicing SystemBilling and invoicing software
  • Mitchell OnDemand5 ManagerFacilities management software
  • Nexiq Tech HDS Suite for PalmAnalytical or scientific software
  • Online service manual database softwareInformation retrieval or search software
  • SPX/OTC Genisys ConnecTech PCAnalytical or scientific software

Also called: Auto Mechanic, Auto Drivability Tech (Automotive Drivability Technician), Auto Mechanic (Automobile Mechanic), Auto Mechanic (Automotive Mechanic), Auto Service Tech (Automotive Service Technician), Auto Tech (Automobile Technician), Auto Tech (Automotive Technician).

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Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).