Lead Collision Repair Technician Salary: United States
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The median annual wage for Lead Collision Repair Technician in the United States was $54,890 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $45,750 and $69,200.
Broader occupation Our title "Lead Collision Repair Technician" is reported by BLS as SOC 49-3021 Automotive Body and Related Repairers. BLS groups Lead Collision Repair Technician within Automotive Body and Related Repairers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
Annual wages
Lead Collision Repair Technician, the United States, annual wages: 10% earned less than $36,910, half earned less than the median of $54,890, 90% earned less than $87,940 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,910 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $45,750 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $54,890 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $69,200 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $87,940 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $59,690 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Lead Collision Repair Technician, the United States, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $17.74, half earned less than the median of $26.39, 90% earned less than $42.28 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.74 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $21.99 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $26.39 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $33.27 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $42.28 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $28.70 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Employment: BLS estimates 149,310 workers in this occupation nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-3021 Automotive Body and Related Repairers, National.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
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.
Target metros
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th percentile | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $51,680 | $47,010 to $74,080 | 2,430 | 0.9 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $49,080 | $45,610 to $60,940 | 1,120 | 0.81 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $47,060 | $45,080 to $59,480 | 1,800 | 1.33 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $51,130 | $46,730 to $60,440 | 650 | 0.91 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $57,920 | $44,650 to $75,720 | 8,150 | 0.89 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $57,920 | $44,650 to $75,720 | 8,150 | 0.89 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $57,280 | $47,060 to $63,950 | 4,080 | 1.05 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $56,060 | $45,760 to $67,390 | 3,410 | 1.08 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $52,040 | $49,640 to $60,860 | 4,450 | 1.03 |
How does Lead Collision Repair Technician pay differ by industry?
These are national industry estimates for SOC 49-3021, not local offers or separate estimates for the niche title. Industry names are exactly as BLS publishes them.
| Industry | NAICS | Median | Basis | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 23 | $52,630 | Annual | 90 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 238000 | $49,320 | Annual | 50 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 238200 | $56,210 | Annual | 30 |
| Manufacturing | 31-33 | $64,920 | Annual | 4,240 |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 336000 | $64,920 | Annual | 4,170 |
| Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 336100 | $76,250 | Annual | 3,340 |
| Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 336200 | $49,510 | Annual | 730 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 336300 | $40,470 | Annual | 90 |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 339000 | $46,850 | Annual | 30 |
| Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 339900 | $46,850 | Annual | 30 |
| Truck Transportation | 484000 | $58,900 | Annual | 480 |
| Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation | 485000 | $57,430 | Annual | 160 |
| Urban Transit Systems | 485100 | $62,810 | Annual | 50 |
| Charter Bus Industry | 485500 | $53,510 | Annual | 50 |
| Support Activities for Transportation | 488000 | $58,630 | Annual | 470 |
| Support Activities for Road Transportation | 488400 | $53,020 | Annual | 200 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement | 488500 | $56,870 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 53 | $48,440 | Annual | 900 |
| Rental and Leasing Services | 532000 | $48,360 | Annual | 900 |
| Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing | 532100 | $48,420 | Annual | 890 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 54 | $37,440 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 541000 | $37,440 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 541600 | $33,040 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Waste Management and Remediation Services | 562000 | $59,290 | Annual | 40 |
| Waste Collection | 562100 | $59,290 | Annual | 40 |
| Repair and Maintenance | 811000 | $54,710 | Annual | 109,530 |
| Automotive Repair and Maintenance | 811100 | $54,710 | Annual | 109,400 |
| Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance | 811300 | $51,160 | Annual | 60 |
| Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance | 811400 | $50,860 | Annual | 70 |
Industry estimates are national. Do not combine an industry median with a local percentile to invent an industry-specific local rate.
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)Which metros publish the highest and lowest medians?
This ranking uses the May 2025 annual median for Automotive Body and Related Repairers. It is not adjusted for living costs. A metro is a BLS statistical area, not just the city limits. Top-coded or suppressed medians are not ranked.
| Metro | Median | Employment | Location quotient | Trade median / all-occupations median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinesville, GA | $81,790 | 30 | 1.6 | 1.75 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $78,060 | 260 | 1.33 | 1.37 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $76,800 | 610 | 0.56 | 0.91 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $76,740 | 2,680 | 1.17 | 1.03 |
| Vallejo, CA | $73,890 | 160 | 1.16 | 1.26 |
| Modesto, CA | $68,640 | 180 | 0.94 | 1.36 |
| El Centro, CA | $68,410 | 50 | 0.72 | 1.52 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $67,790 | 80 | 0.67 | 1.34 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $67,090 | 4,270 | 0.71 | 1.20 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $66,340 | 130 | 0.77 | 1.40 |
| Goldsboro, NC | $45,320 | 50 | 1.22 | 1.12 |
| Beckley, WV | $45,180 | 30 | 0.82 | 1.08 |
| Tallahassee, FL | $45,160 | 120 | 0.68 | 0.97 |
| Johnson City, TN | $44,990 | 80 | 1.06 | 1.03 |
| Gadsden, AL | $44,760 | 40 | 1.38 | 1.22 |
| Owensboro, KY | $44,250 | 40 | 0.8 | 0.98 |
| Valdosta, GA | $43,120 | 90 | 1.67 | 1.10 |
| Helena, MT | $35,980 | 50 | 1.21 | 0.65 |
| Aguadilla, PR | $33,900 | 40 | 0.78 | 1.28 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | $30,260 | 540 | 0.82 | 1.03 |
The wage ratio is simple arithmetic: this occupation's median divided by the all-occupations median in the same area and unit. It is not a cost-of-living measure. Location quotient describes the concentration of employment, not relative pay. Neither predicts what a particular candidate will accept.
What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Lead Collision Repair Technician in National as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Lead Collision Repair Technician in National, the published median for SOC 49-3021, Automotive Body and Related Repairers, is $54,890 per year. The middle half of the Lead Collision Repair Technician in National wage distribution runs from $45,750 to $69,200, a width of $23,450 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
For the national Lead Collision Repair Technician comparison, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ reports $57,920 per year while Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN reports $52,040 per year; these are the largest-employment metros with published medians for the occupation, rather than neighboring places to a national estimate. The United States Lead Collision Repair Technician figure pools markets with different work scopes and schedules, so use the area table before setting a local offer.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Automotive Body and Related Repairers, read alongside Lead Collision Repair Technician in National, are Motor Vehicle Manufacturing at $76,250 per year (NAICS 336100); Manufacturing at $64,920 per year (NAICS 31-33); Transportation Equipment Manufacturing at $64,920 per year (NAICS 336000). Those Lead Collision Repair Technician in National 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 Lead Collision Repair Technician in National median was $51,680 per year in May 2024, compared with $54,890 in May 2025, a published difference of $3,210. That Lead Collision Repair Technician in National comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $51,680 and $54,890 Lead Collision Repair Technician in National estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $54,890 per year for Lead Collision Repair Technician in National, 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 Lead Collision Repair Technician in National BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Lead Collision Repair Technician in National can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Lead Collision Repair Technician in National is broader: BLS groups Lead Collision Repair Technician within Automotive Body and Related Repairers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. For a Lead Collision Repair Technician in National opening, establish the equipment, license requirements and responsibility before deciding which people the pay range should attract. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Lead Collision Repair Technician in National 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 Lead Collision Repair Technician in National buyer?
Lead Collision Repair Technician in National has a published middle-half band of $45,750 to $69,200, a width of $23,450 per year, with median $54,890. An offer inside that Lead Collision Repair Technician in National 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 Lead Collision Repair Technician in National?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN are the largest-employment comparison markets used for Lead Collision Repair Technician in National. Comparing those Automotive Body and Related Repairers tables with the $54,890 Lead Collision Repair Technician in National median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Lead Collision Repair Technician in National?
Lead Collision Repair Technician in National uses national industry rows for SOC 49-3021, not local sector-specific wages. Motor Vehicle Manufacturing leads the selected sortable rows at $76,250 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Lead Collision Repair Technician in National.
What changed between the releases for Lead Collision Repair Technician in National?
Lead Collision Repair Technician in National moved from $51,680 in May 2024 to $54,890 in May 2025. These Lead Collision Repair Technician in National published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 49-3021. Published annual median: $51,680 (May 2024) and $54,890 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.