Trades · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Automotive Technician (2024)

The median Automotive Technician salary is $77,260 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Minneapolis, MN offers the best purchasing power at $58,173 adjusted.

$56,837

National Median

$77,260

Highest City

$48,310

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$77,260	$48,920 – $105,790	195.8	$39,459	3,080
2	San Francisco, CA	$74,590	$44,900 – $105,320	179.6	$41,531	7,620
3	Washington, DC	$62,970	$37,840 – $95,770	152.8	$41,211	11,920
4	Los Angeles, CA	$62,820	$37,060 – $88,580	166	$37,843	19,620
5	Minneapolis, MN	$61,780	$38,510 – $84,390	106.2	$58,173	8,070
6	San Diego, CA	$61,040	$37,440 – $81,790	160.2	$38,102	5,180
7	Seattle, WA	$60,450	$39,700 – $93,470	149.4	$40,462	7,230
8	Denver, CO	$60,240	$42,060 – $94,640	112.8	$53,404	6,060
9	Boston, MA	$59,390	$38,410 – $84,190	152.1	$39,047	9,220
10	Portland, OR	$59,390	$38,610 – $81,140	130.1	$45,650	4,060
11	New York, NY	$59,110	$35,340 – $94,630	187.2	$31,576	27,540
12	Chicago, IL	$58,340	$34,960 – $91,670	107.3	$54,371	18,180
13	Philadelphia, PA	$57,830	$36,500 – $78,410	118.4	$48,843	12,450
14	Dallas, TX	$53,290	$34,580 – $83,470	104.1	$51,191	17,020
15	Raleigh, NC	$52,430	$34,350 – $79,870	99.8	$52,535	3,570
16	Atlanta, GA	$51,980	$31,500 – $88,360	99.2	$52,399	13,820
17	Charlotte, NC	$51,070	$32,860 – $81,480	96.7	$52,813	7,490
18	Houston, TX	$50,740	$33,700 – $92,610	96.5	$52,580	14,520
19	Detroit, MI	$50,700	$31,770 – $84,080	95.1	$53,312	8,710
20	Phoenix, AZ	$50,460	$36,540 – $96,400	100.7	$50,109	12,300
21	Austin, TX	$50,380	$35,000 – $83,310	103	$48,913	4,930
22	Miami, FL	$49,360	$31,650 – $83,080	123.1	$40,097	12,130
23	Tampa, FL	$48,580	$33,380 – $78,350	99.6	$48,775	6,810
24	Salt Lake City, UT	$48,420	$34,910 – $77,240	101.4	$47,751	3,610
25	Nashville, TN	$48,310	$35,670 – $81,610	100.3	$48,166	5,250

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Automotive Technician paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Minneapolis, MN	$58,173	$61,780	106.2
2	Chicago, IL	$54,371	$58,340	107.3
3	Denver, CO	$53,404	$60,240	112.8
4	Detroit, MI	$53,312	$50,700	95.1
5	Charlotte, NC	$52,813	$51,070	96.7
6	Houston, TX	$52,580	$50,740	96.5
7	Raleigh, NC	$52,535	$52,430	99.8
8	Atlanta, GA	$52,399	$51,980	99.2
9	Dallas, TX	$51,191	$53,290	104.1
10	Phoenix, AZ	$50,109	$50,460	100.7
11	Austin, TX	$48,913	$50,380	103
12	Philadelphia, PA	$48,843	$57,830	118.4
13	Tampa, FL	$48,775	$48,580	99.6
14	Nashville, TN	$48,166	$48,310	100.3
15	Salt Lake City, UT	$47,751	$48,420	101.4
16	Portland, OR	$45,650	$59,390	130.1
17	San Francisco, CA	$41,531	$74,590	179.6
18	Washington, DC	$41,211	$62,970	152.8
19	Seattle, WA	$40,462	$60,450	149.4
20	Miami, FL	$40,097	$49,360	123.1
21	San Jose, CA	$39,459	$77,260	195.8
22	Boston, MA	$39,047	$59,390	152.1
23	San Diego, CA	$38,102	$61,040	160.2
24	Los Angeles, CA	$37,843	$62,820	166
25	New York, NY	$31,576	$59,110	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Automotive Technician salary at $77,260. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Minneapolis, MN offers the most purchasing power at $58,173 adjusted.

The national median Automotive Technician salary is $56,837 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $48,310 to $77,260 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.