How much do service managers make in 2026?
Service managers are counted in the BLS first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers and repairers series: OEWS May 2025 gives SOC 49-1011 a national median of $79,860 a year ($38.39 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $49,600 and the top 10% at $126,790 across 617,500 workers. The code covers supervision of repair operations across every industry, so it is not dealership-specific, and this site publishes another record against it. A dealership service manager runs what is usually the store's most reliable profit centre, and the role is measured on a defined set of numbers: effective labour rate, hours per repair order, technician productivity and proficiency, comeback rate, warranty compliance and customer satisfaction. The manager's real levers are workflow and people. Getting technicians the right work at the right time keeps flat rate earnings high and turnover low, and technician retention is the constraint that dominates the job — a well-run department that keeps good technicians outperforms one that constantly recruits, regardless of what the store spends on marketing. Service managers at high-volume stores and those who progress to fixed operations director, combining service and parts, sit at the top of this band. Employment is projected to grow 3.1% through 2034 with roughly 52,400 openings a year. → Full service 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.
- Service 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 role is measured on a defined set of numbers: effective labour rate, hours per repair order, technician productivity, comeback rate, warranty compliance and customer satisfaction.
- Technician retention is the constraint that dominates the job — a department that keeps good technicians outperforms one that constantly recruits.
- High-volume stores and progression to fixed operations director, combining service and parts, put managers at the top of the $49,600 to $126,790 band.
US Service Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do service 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 service manager earn at each career stage?
Service manager pay follows department size and how well the shop's capacity is used. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-1011.
By State
Which states pay service 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. Dealership service pay follows store volume, brand and labour rate, which vary between neighbouring stores as much as between states.
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 service 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. High-volume metro dealerships support the largest service departments and the highest management pay.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a service 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 service manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Service 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 service manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a service 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
Service Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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