Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 49-3021

Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Median pay sits 26% below the mid peer in Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (neighbors include Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines, Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other, Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Automotive Body and Related Repairers: Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers ($95K) , Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines ($66K) , Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other ($69K) , Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment ($74K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Automotive Body and Related Repairers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 49-3021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools
  2. 2. Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test…
  3. 3. Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinder…
  4. 4. Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders
  5. 5. Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take
  6. 6. Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint
  7. 7. Chain or clamp frames and sections to alignment machines that use hydraulic pressure to align damaged components
  8. 8. Position dolly blocks against surfaces of dented areas and beat opposite surfaces to remove dents, using hammers
  9. 9. Cut and tape plastic separating film to outside repair areas to avoid damaging surrounding surfaces during repair procedure and remove ta…
  10. 10. Review damage reports, prepare or review repair cost estimates, and plan work to be performed
  11. 11. Fill small dents that cannot be worked out with plastic or solder
  12. 12. Remove damaged sections of vehicles using metal-cutting guns, air grinders and wrenches, and install replacement parts using wrenches or…

Automotive Body and Related Repairers: O*NET ranks Repairing first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 49-3021 - lead skill Repairing at 3.3 ; lead knowledge Mechanical. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Repairing 3.3
  2. 2. Troubleshooting 3.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.0
  4. 4. Speaking 3.0
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.0
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.0
  7. 7. Operations Monitoring 3.0
  8. 8. Quality Control Analysis 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Mechanical 3.6
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 3.3
  3. 3. Production and Processing 3.1
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.0
  5. 5. English Language 3.0
  6. 6. Transportation 3.0
Pay vs Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations peers
-26%
vs mid peer median $74,340
This role $54,890/yr
$55K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
14,600
Annual openings
149,310
Estimated US jobs
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
Highest-pay peer · $95K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Automotive Body and Related Repairers

1. New Jersey $62,400
2. Nevada $60,520
3. Minnesota $60,970
4. Alaska $61,680
5. District of Columbia $62,640
6. Hawaii $60,540
7. Rhode Island $72,490
8. Oregon $60,000
9. California $66,860
10. Missouri $60,540

Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles

  1. 1. Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other $68,990
  2. 2. Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment $74,090
  3. 3. Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines $65,510
  4. 4. First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $79,860
  5. 5. Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door $74,340
  6. 6. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $95,320

Among Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations peers on this card, Automotive Body and Related Repairers sits 26% below the mid peer median ($74,340). Its own median is $54,890.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 14,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New Jersey at $62,400. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers at $95,320. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Automotive Body and Related Repairers pay-rank #32 in Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

Automotive Body and Related Repairers sits at pay-rank #32 of 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Automotive Body and Related Repairers pays 26% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Automotive Body and Related Repairers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 49-3021

New Jersey · top state for Automotive Body and Related Repairers

$62K published median

Nevada · #2 state pay

$61K · behind New Jersey

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Automotive Body and Related Repairers · $95K

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

Lower-pay peer beside Automotive Body and Related Repairers · $66K

Compare Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Automotive Body and Related Repairers with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Automotive Body and Related Repairers

Against another occupation

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Automotive Body and Related Repairers mid-table among Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #32 of 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Mechanical Door Repairers ($56K), Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers ($56K), Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians ($57K), Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers ($53K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do automotive body and related repairers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Automotive Body and Related Repairers. Leading ones include: File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools; Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test…; Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinder…; Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for automotive body and related repairers? ▼
For SOC 49-3021, O*NET importance scores lead with Repairing (3.3), Troubleshooting (3.1), Active Listening (3.0), Speaking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Mechanical, Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Automotive Body and Related Repairers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $54,890 as the national median for Automotive Body and Related Repairers. The published 10th-90th range is $36,910 to $87,940. Beside Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers ($95,320), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Automotive Body and Related Repairers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Automotive Body and Related Repairers is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 14,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Automotive Body and Related Repairers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Automotive Body and Related Repairers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Automotive Body and Related Repairers? ▼
New Jersey ($62,400), Nevada ($60,520), Minnesota ($60,970) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Automotive Body and Related Repairers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 49-3021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Automotive Body and Related Repairers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics