How much do body shop managers make in 2026?
Body shop managers are counted in the BLS first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers and repairers series, where OEWS May 2025 reports a national median of $79,860 a year ($38.39 an hour) for SOC 49-1011, a bottom 10% near $49,600 and a top 10% at $126,790 across 617,500 workers. This site publishes another record against that code, which covers repair supervision across many industries. Collision management is distinguished by its customer: in most cases the person paying is an insurer, not the vehicle owner, and that shapes everything. Direct repair programme relationships bring volume, and they come with performance requirements — cycle time from drop-off to delivery, touch time, severity, rental days and customer satisfaction — that the manager is measured against continuously. Losing a programme costs a shop a large share of its work overnight, so protecting those relationships is a core part of the role. Alongside that sits genuine operational complexity: parts procurement across original, aftermarket and recycled sources, blueprinting repairs accurately before disassembly to avoid supplements, keeping technicians on flat rate productive, and managing the equipment investment that modern materials and calibration require. Employment is projected to grow 3.1% through 2034 with roughly 52,400 openings a year. → Full body shop manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $79,860 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Body Shop Managers earn a national median $79,860/yr ($38.39/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-1011); the P10 to P90 range is $49,600 to $126,790.
- The paying customer is usually an insurer, and direct repair programme relationships bring volume with continuous performance requirements attached.
- Cycle time, touch time, severity, rental days and satisfaction are measured continuously, and losing a programme removes a large share of a shop's work overnight.
- Accurate blueprinting before disassembly is the operational discipline that most affects cycle time, supplements and technician productivity.
US Body Shop Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do body shop managers 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 49-1011; 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 49-1011, 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 a body shop manager earn at each career stage?
Collision management pay follows shop throughput and the strength of your insurer relationships. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-1011.
By State
Which states pay body shop managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national mechanic supervisor median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Collision volume tracks weather, traffic density and fleet age, and insurer labour rate agreements vary by market in ways no wage index captures.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($91,840), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay body shop managers 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 metros generate more collision volume and support the certified, high-throughput centres that pay best.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a body shop manager’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 body shop manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Body Shop Managers 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 body shop manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a body shop manager 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
Body Shop Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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