How much do automotive parts advisors make in 2026?
Automotive parts advisors are counted in the BLS parts salespersons series: OEWS May 2025 gives SOC 41-2022 a national median of $38,630 a year ($18.57 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $28,240 and the top 10% at $62,890 across 270,070 workers. Inside a dealership parts department the same job title covers three quite different positions. The retail counter serves walk-in customers and is the entry point, paid near the bottom of this band. The service counter supplies the shop's own technicians, and its value is speed and accuracy — a technician waiting for a part is a technician not billing hours, so a good service counter person directly affects the dealership's largest profit centre. The wholesale side sells parts to independent repair shops and other dealers, is usually commissioned, and is where the money is: a wholesale parts specialist with an established account base can earn at or above the top of this published band. Product knowledge is what underpins all three, because parts catalogues are complex, superseded numbers are constant and a wrong part costs everyone time. Employment is projected to grow 3.1% through 2034 with roughly 30,200 openings a year. → Full automotive parts advisor career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $38,630 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Automotive Parts Advisors earn a national median $38,630/yr ($18.57/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 41-2022); the P10 to P90 range is $28,240 to $62,890.
- One title covers three jobs: retail counter at the bottom of the band, service counter supporting technicians, and commissioned wholesale sales at the top.
- The service counter directly affects the dealership's biggest profit centre, because a technician waiting on a part is a technician not billing hours.
- Wholesale parts specialists with an established independent repair shop account base can earn at or above the top of the $28,240 to $62,890 band.
US Automotive Parts Advisor Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do automotive parts advisors 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 41-2022; 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 41-2022, 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 automotive parts advisor earn at each career stage?
Parts advisor pay follows which counter you work and whether you carry an account base. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 41-2022.
By State
Which states pay automotive parts advisors the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national parts salesperson median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Wholesale earnings depend on the density of independent repair shops in a territory rather than on the state's wage level.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($44,420), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay automotive parts advisors 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. Metros with many independent repair shops support the wholesale business that pays best in this occupation.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an automotive parts advisor’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 automotive parts advisor pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Automotive Parts Advisors 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 automotive parts advisor wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an automotive parts advisor 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
Automotive Parts Advisor Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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