How much do auto body technicians make in 2026?
Auto body technicians earn a national median of $54,890 a year ($26.39 an hour) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 for SOC 49-3021, automotive body and related repairers, with the bottom 10% near $36,910 and the top 10% at $87,940 across 149,310 workers. Like mechanical technicians, most body technicians are paid flat rate, but with an important difference: in collision repair the labour times are set by the estimating systems that insurers use, and what gets paid depends on what the insurer approves. That makes the shop's ability to document and negotiate supplements a direct determinant of technician income, and it is why technicians in well-run shops on direct repair programmes earn more than equally skilled technicians in shops that write poor estimates. The work has become considerably more technical. Modern vehicles use high-strength steel, aluminium and mixed-material construction with manufacturer-specific repair procedures that must be followed, and almost every collision repair now involves recalibrating driver assistance sensors. Technicians certified in aluminium repair, welding to manufacturer standards and structural work occupy the top of this band. Employment is projected to grow 1.6% through 2034 with roughly 14,600 openings a year. → Full auto body technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $54,890 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Auto Body Technicians earn a national median $54,890/yr ($26.39/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-3021); the P10 to P90 range is $36,910 to $87,940.
- Labour times in collision repair come from insurer estimating systems, so a shop's ability to document and negotiate supplements directly determines technician income.
- Mixed-material construction, manufacturer-specific repair procedures and structural work have raised the technical bar considerably.
- Aluminium, structural and manufacturer welding certifications put technicians at the top of the $36,910 to $87,940 band.
US Auto Body Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do auto body technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 49-3021; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-3021, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an auto body technician earn at each career stage?
Collision pay follows certification and the complexity of the repairs you can take on. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-3021.
By State
Which states pay auto body technicians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national body repairer median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Collision volume tracks weather, traffic density and vehicle age more than wage levels, and insurer labour rate agreements vary by market in ways an index cannot show.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($63,120), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay auto body technicians the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Dense urban markets generate more collisions and support higher labour rates, while certified shops with the equipment for modern repairs cluster there too.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an auto body technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does auto body technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Auto Body Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify auto body technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an auto body technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Auto Body Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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