Automotive Technician Salary: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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The median annual wage for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $55,320 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers in this occupation and area earned between $39,240 and $78,370. This is the broader occupation used for Automotive Technician, not a separately surveyed rate for that title or credential.
Broader occupation Our title "Automotive Technician" is reported by BLS as SOC 49-3023 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics. BLS groups Automotive Technician within Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
For Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023), the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN annual median is $4,700 above the national median of $50,620 (9.3%).
Annual wages: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023)
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, annual wages: 10% earned less than $34,520, half earned less than the median of $55,320, 90% earned less than $92,460 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,520 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $39,240 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $55,320 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $78,370 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $92,460 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $59,320 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023)
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $16.59, half earned less than the median of $26.60, 90% earned less than $44.45 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.59 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $18.87 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $26.60 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $37.68 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $44.45 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $28.52 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,660 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $38,900 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $50,620 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $70,430 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $81,790 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $56,420 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-3023 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What BLS wages measure. OEWS estimates describe straight-time gross wages, not just base salary and not total compensation. They include commissions and production bonuses. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. Discuss travel, per diem, tool and truck allowances separately. Percentiles describe the occupation's wage distribution, not seniority, plant size, job complexity or credentials. Licensing, union agreements and prevailing-wage obligations depend on the work and assignment; these figures do not establish a premium for them.
Official BLS wage definitions | Source dates and methodology
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Automotive Shop Foreman (49-1011)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician), the published median for SOC 49-3023, Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, is $55,320 per year. The middle half of the Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) wage distribution runs from $39,240 to $78,370, a width of $39,130 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
Against the United States estimate, the Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) median is $4,700 above the national median of $50,620. For Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023), Kankakee, IL reports $45,190 per year, $10,130 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN; For Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023), Niles, MI reports $49,450 per year, $5,870 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The neighbors used for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) are the nearest metro representative points with a released median, using Census geography, not a commuting or cost-of-living adjustment.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, read alongside Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician), are Natural Gas Distribution at $105,550 per year (NAICS 221200); Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution at $95,500 per year (NAICS 221100); Utilities at $94,910 per year (NAICS 22). Those Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) median was $58,340 per year in May 2024, compared with $55,320 in May 2025, a published difference of -$3,020. That Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $58,340 and $55,320 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before using $55,320 per year from Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) to calibrate an offer, separate flat-rate hours, diagnostic work and paid comeback work before deciding what the paycheck would look like; tool allowances and benefits need separate terms. The Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) BLS comparison measures straight-time gross wages, including commissions and production bonuses, but excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) is broader: BLS groups Automotive Technician within Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) opening, the work checks include ASE A1 to A8 (Master) and L1 Advanced Engine Performance; OEM factory certification level; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) buyer?
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) has a published middle-half band of $39,240 to $78,370, a width of $39,130 per year, with median $55,320. An offer inside that Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician)?
Kankakee, IL and Niles, MI are the nearest published metro reference points used for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician). Comparing those Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics tables with the $55,320 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician)?
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) uses national industry rows for SOC 49-3023, not local sector-specific wages. Natural Gas Distribution leads the selected sortable rows at $105,550 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician).
What changed between the releases for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician)?
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) moved from $58,340 in May 2024 to $55,320 in May 2025. These Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (reference for Automotive Technician) published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 49-3023. Published annual median: $58,340 (May 2024) and $55,320 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.