Auto Body Repairers in the Santa Cruz area earn a median of $62,610 a year, 21% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #21 of 363 metros for auto body repairer pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Jose and San Francisco, but less in Salinas.
It's one of 24 California metros with published pay for this trade; see auto body repairers across California.
Auto Body Repairer pay in Santa Cruz at a glance
- Auto body repairers in the Santa Cruz, CA metro earn a median $62,610 a year ($30.10 an hour), #21 of 363 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $39,410 and $83,550.
- After local prices, that median buys what $56,972 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $3,390 a month, 65% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among auto body repairers in Santa Cruz.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for auto body repairers here is in the top 20% of U.S. metros, and above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (6.3%) and the population is shrinking (-4.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 35 one-person auto body & paint businesses averaging $110,343 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $77/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Santa Cruz scorecard for auto body repairers Our calculation
Grades compare Santa Cruz with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($51,680).
Pay over time
The median pay for auto body repairers in the Santa Cruz area went from $57,940 in 2020 to $62,610 in 2025, up 8.1%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -13.8% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Santa Cruz Our calculation
Prices in Santa Cruz run 10% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $56,972 would in a typical place, ranking #138 of 361 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a monthly budget for Santa Cruz from this pay, local rent and prices.
What auto body repairers do
Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- 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-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.
- Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.
- Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders.
- Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, auto body repairer jobs are projected to grow 3.7% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 12,600 openings a year. About 8% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often auto body repairers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for auto body repairers.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for auto body repairers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, auto body repairers have 60 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 31% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for auto body repairers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $78,060 | $72,423 | 260 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $76,800 | $69,551 | 610 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $76,740 | $66,377 | 2,680 |
| VallejoCALIFORNIA · CA | $73,890 | $68,115 | 160 |
| ModestoCALIFORNIA · CA | $68,640 | $65,932 | 180 |
| El CentroCALIFORNIA · CA | $68,410 | $71,879 | 50 |
| San Luis ObispoCALIFORNIA · CA | $67,790 | $62,424 | 80 |
| Los AngelesCALIFORNIA · CA | $67,090 | $59,076 | 4,270 |
| ChicoCALIFORNIA · CA | $64,420 | $63,658 | 40 |
| StocktonCALIFORNIA · CA | $63,810 | $60,720 | 260 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Santa Cruz area's unemployment rate was 6.3% in 2025 (all workers, not just auto body repairers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Santa Cruz area is 27 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 21% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 68% drive alone, 2% take transit and 13% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Santa Cruz area's population shrank 4.7% from 2020 to 2025 (271,758 → 258,852), ranking #387 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -13,414).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Santa Cruz are down 21% from 2021 to 2025 (598 → 470).
In 2025 the Santa Cruz area approved permits for 470 new homes (163 single-family), or 1.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #310 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 35 one-person businesses (no employees) in auto body & paint, averaging $110,343 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Santa Cruz compares among the best cities to start an auto body repairer business.
They compete with 37 auto body & paint companies that have employees (about 323 workers in total). 57% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Where to train near Santa Cruz Government data
6 schools in or near Santa Cruz offer vehicle maintenance and repair programs below the bachelor's level, 5 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission College Santa Clara, CA · Public | Certificate | $13,837 | 143 | — |
| De Anza College Cupertino, CA · Public | Certificate | $13,034 | 109 | — |
| De Anza College Cupertino, CA · Public | Associate degree | $13,034 | 40 | — |
| Evergreen Valley College San Jose, CA · Public | Certificate | $19,632 | 35 | — |
| CET-San Jose San Jose, CA · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $28,697 | 14 | $41,719 |
| Monterey Peninsula College Monterey, CA · Public | Certificate | $44,346 | 11 | — |
| Evergreen Valley College San Jose, CA · Public | Associate degree | $19,632 | 9 | — |
| West Valley College Saratoga, CA · Public | Associate degree | $12,270 | 4 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $62,610 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get auto body repairer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Santa Cruz with another city →
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ToolSanta Cruz budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Santa Cruz metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Santa Cruz against every other metro for auto body repairers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.