The automotive industry struggles constantly to find competent, professional automotive technicians to service increasingly more complicated vehicles. Because of the specialized knowledge that an automotive technician must have, the salaries of these positions are being adjusted appropriately. Many factors affect an automotive technician's hourly rate, which varies considerably depending on a technician's skill level and by the locality where the technician works.
Basic Hourly Rate
According to the U.S. .Department of Labor, the median salary for an automotive technician was $17.03 per hour as of 2009. The middle 50 percent of automotive technicians were paid a salary of between $12.49 and $22.71 per hour. The industry has a considerable range in salaries, with the lowest 10 percent of technicians making up to $9.54 an hour, and the top 10 percent making $28.81 or more per hour.
Industries By Number Of Technicians Employed
Among the multiple industries that employ automotive technicians, independent repair facilities employ the most technicians, with a mean hourly wage of $16.74 per hour. Automotive dealerships employ the second highest number of technicians, with a much higher average wage, $20.75 per hour. Auto parts and tire stores often have their own installation facilities, and they pay their technicians an average of $16.13 per hour, with gas stations employing the next highest number of technicians, paying $16.27 on average per hour. Local governments employ the fewest technicians of these listed industries, but pay the highest average hourly wage at $21.45 per hour.
Top Paying Regions
The hourly wages for an automotive technician vary widely depending on the area of the country. The state with the highest mean hourly wage is Alaska, where the average technician makes $23.74 per hour. Next is the District of Columbia, with an average hourly wage of $21.56, but it also has the lowest rate of employed auto technicians per 1,000 workers of any of the high paying regions. Connecticut pays an average of $20.53 per hour. Texarkana, Texas is the highest paying metropolitan area, with technicians enjoying an average hourly wage of $26.34.
Technician Pay Plans
Many automotive technicians are paid on a flat rate pay plan that is determined by a labor time guide for various types of repairs. In such cases, a technician is paid for a certain number of hours to complete a particular repair job, regardless of the actual time that the technician spends on that repair. For example, if a technician works 10 hours on a repair and his hourly rate is $20.00 per hour, but he completes work that the labor time guide says should take 15 hours, he is paid for 15 hours, or $300.00. This makes his effective rate -- the amount of pay per actual hour spent on that repair -- $30.00 per hour. The use of flat rate pay plans varies throughout the industry, and is most prevalent in new car dealerships.
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