Auto Body Repairers in the Niles area earn a median of $51,160 a year, 1% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #187 of 363 metros for auto body repairers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in South Bend and Chicago, but less in Michigan City.
It's one of 14 Michigan metros with published pay for this trade; see auto body repairer pay in Michigan.
Auto Body Repairer pay in Niles at a glance
- Auto body repairers in the Niles, MI metro earn a median $51,160 a year ($24.60 an hour), #187 of 363 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $36,830 and $79,390.
- After local prices, that median buys what $55,386 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $887 a month, 21% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among auto body repairers in Niles.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for auto body repairers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and also about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (5.3%) and the population is shrinking (-1.3% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 24 one-person auto body & paint businesses averaging $87,958 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $67/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Niles scorecard for auto body repairers Our calculation
Grades compare Niles 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 Niles area went from $46,130 in 2021 to $51,160 in 2025, up 10.9%. Prices rose 19% over the same period, so after inflation that's -7.1% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2021–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 Niles Our calculation
Prices in Niles run 8% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $55,386 would in a typical place, ranking #175 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 cost-of-living budget for Niles 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 Michigan Official source
The main state licensing office in Michigan is the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes. It can point you to the right license for auto body repairers.
Official Michigan 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 MI metros for auto body repairers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| DetroitMICHIGAN · MI | $62,550 | $62,364 | 2,130 |
| KalamazooMICHIGAN · MI | $57,250 | $60,365 | 210 |
| Grand RapidsMICHIGAN · MI | $56,770 | $59,416 | 680 |
| Battle CreekMICHIGAN · MI | $55,420 | $61,210 | 40 |
| Ann ArborMICHIGAN · MI | $54,400 | $53,925 | 140 |
| LansingMICHIGAN · MI | $53,760 | $56,595 | 190 |
| MonroeMICHIGAN · MI | $52,160 | $55,791 | 50 |
| NilesMICHIGAN · MI | $51,160 | $55,386 | 40 |
| MuskegonMICHIGAN · MI | $50,170 | $54,227 | 80 |
| JacksonMICHIGAN · MI | $49,730 | $54,185 | 60 |
See every metro in Michigan.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Niles area's unemployment rate was 5.3% in 2025 (all workers, not just auto body repairers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Niles area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 1% take transit and 10% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Niles area's population shrank 1.3% from 2020 to 2025 (154,395 → 152,444), ranking #341 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Niles are up 12% from 2021 to 2025 (331 → 372).
In 2025 the Niles area approved permits for 372 new homes (255 single-family), or 2.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #264 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 24 one-person businesses (no employees) in auto body & paint, averaging $87,958 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Niles compares among the best cities to start an auto body repairer business.
They compete with 16 auto body & paint companies that have employees (about 95 workers in total). 62% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $51,160 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 Niles with another city →
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ToolCheck an offer in NilesSee where it falls among local auto body repairers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolNiles budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Niles 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 Niles against every other metro for auto body repairers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.