Mechanic Labor Rates by State
The median independent repair shop that posts a labor rate charges $129 an hour. The middle half charge $100 to $165. We read 18,181 independent shop websites and 207 of them state an hourly rate.
Updated .
6 sections
- Median per hour
- $129
- Low end
- $100
- High end
- $165
- Shops posting a rate
- 207
The Short Answer
Plan on about $129 an hour at an independent shop. A quarter of the shops that post a rate charge $100 or less, and a quarter charge $165 or more. Chains and dealers are left out of these numbers.
Where you live matters most. Among states with at least 5 shops posting a rate, California is highest at $160 (53 shops) and Ohio is lowest at $75 (6 shops).
Labor Rate in Every State
Each row is the median hourly rate posted by independent shops in that state. The shops column is how many shop websites in that state list a rate. A row built from 3 shops is a starting point, and a row built from 53 is solid.
| State | Shops | Median | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 53 | $160 | $100 | $185 |
| Missouri | 3 | $150 | $125 | $150 |
| Florida | 15 | $149 | $125 | $175 |
| Minnesota | 3 | $149 | $120 | $175 |
| Michigan | 3 | $145 | $122 | $150 |
| New York | 6 | $145 | $125 | $190 |
| Virginia | 3 | $140 | $125 | $175 |
| North Carolina | 4 | $132 | $125 | $180 |
| Washington | 15 | $130 | $110 | $175 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | $130 | $80 | $175 |
| Oregon | 5 | $126 | $100 | $179 |
| Texas | 13 | $125 | $110 | $145 |
| Nevada | 4 | $125 | $100 | $190 |
| Tennessee | 6 | $125 | $100 | $175 |
| Arizona | 5 | $125 | $125 | $125 |
| South Carolina | 3 | $125 | $75 | $150 |
| Illinois | 4 | $122 | $100 | $150 |
| Colorado | 3 | $120 | $100 | $175 |
| Utah | 8 | $110 | $100 | $130 |
| Kentucky | 3 | $110 | $75 | $110 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | $107 | $90 | $187 |
| Maine | 3 | $100 | $75 | $115 |
| Indiana | 3 | $90 | $90 | $120 |
| Ohio | 6 | $75 | $69 | $140 |
| United States | 207 | $129 | $100 | $165 |
States not in the table had fewer than 3 shops posting a rate, so they get no row of their own. They still count in the national figures.
Why Rates Differ
Cost of Living and Rent
A shop pays for its building, its lifts and its people out of the hourly rate. That is why California shops post $160 and Ohio shops post $75. The same brake job takes the same time in both places, and the bill still comes out different.
Dealer or Independent
These are independent shops only. Dealers usually post a higher rate because they carry factory tools, factory training and a bigger building. For warranty or recall work the dealer is the right call. For a car out of warranty, an independent shop at a lower rate can do the same job, and you can ask for the same factory parts.
Mobile Mechanics
A mobile mechanic has no bay rent, so the hourly part of the bill is often lower, with a trip fee added. See what customers paid on real mobile mechanic jobs and browse mobile mechanics near you.
How the Rate Becomes Your Bill
Shops bill labor by book time, the hours a labor guide says the job takes, times their hourly rate. At $129 an hour, a one hour job is $129 in labor and a ten hour job is $1,290. That is why the rate matters most on big jobs.
The diagnostic fee works the same way. Shops that post one charge a median of $100, and the middle half charge $80 to $150. Ask whether it comes off the repair bill if you let the shop do the work.
Jobs with the most labor hours, where the rate moves the bill most:
Common jobs with short labor times:
Questions About Labor Rates
These are questions people ask Google about mechanic labor rates, answered from the numbers above.
How much should a car mechanic charge per hour?
Most independent shops that post a rate charge $100 to $165 an hour, and the median is $129. That comes from 207 shop websites that list an hourly rate. Your area moves it a lot, so compare two or three local quotes.
Is 150 an hour expensive for a mechanic?
It is above the national median of $129 but inside the normal range. The middle half of shops charge $100 to $165, and 2 of the 24 states in our table have a median of $150 or more, including California at $160.
How much is 2 hours of labor for a mechanic?
At the national median of $129 an hour, 2 hours of labor is $258. At the low and high ends of the middle half it runs $200 to $330. Parts, shop supplies and tax come on top of that.
Why are mechanic labor rates so high?
The hourly rate pays for much more than the tech. It covers the building, lifts, scan tools and software subscriptions, insurance, training and the time spent on jobs that pay less than the book says. Shops in high rent areas pass more of that on.
How much do mobile mechanics usually charge per hour?
Mobile mechanics skip the rent and the lift, so many price their hour at or below a local shop rate, then add a trip fee. Ask for the hourly rate and the trip fee up front. Our mobile mechanic prices study shows what real jobs cost.
How much is mechanic labor per hour in Florida?
Florida shops that post a rate charge a median of $149 an hour, with the middle half at $125 to $175. That is from 15 Florida shop websites, so treat it as a guide and get a local quote.
Where These Numbers Come From
Rates from the Data for Trades Auto Repair Data Pack, Oct 2026. It crawled 22,085 independent shop websites in October 2026, read 18,181 of them, and kept the 207 that state an hourly labor rate. Chains and dealers are left out. Low and high are the 25th and 75th percentile. State medians come from the same crawl, and states with fewer than 3 shops posting a rate are left out of the table.
Questions on this page are ones Google shows in People Also Ask, gathered through DataForSEO in October 2026.
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