Auto Body Repairers in the Helena area earn a median of $35,980 a year, 30% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #361 of 363 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Great Falls and Bozeman.
It's one of 5 Montana metros with published pay for this trade; see auto body repairers across Montana.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for auto body repairers here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.1%) and the population is growing faster than most (+7.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 21 one-person auto body & paint businesses averaging $52,333 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $54/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Helena scorecard for auto body repairers Our calculation
Grades compare Helena 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).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Helena Our calculation
Prices in the Helena area run 4% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $37,606 would in a typical place, ranking #361 of 361 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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 Montana Official source
The main state licensing office in Montana is the Montana Department of Labor and Industry (Business Standards). It can point you to the right license for auto body repairers.
Official Montana 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 MT metros for auto body repairers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BozemanMONTANA · MT | $60,960 | $59,467 | 50 |
| BillingsMONTANA · MT | $58,960 | $63,041 | 130 |
| Great FallsMONTANA · MT | $52,160 | $53,859 | 30 |
| MissoulaMONTANA · MT | $48,710 | $50,505 | 40 |
| HelenaMONTANA · MT | $35,980 | $37,606 | 50 |
See every metro in Montana.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Helena area's unemployment rate was 3.1% in 2025 (all workers, not just auto body repairers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Helena area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 0% take transit and 12% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Helena area's population grew 7.7% from 2020 to 2025 (90,182 → 97,153), ranking #56 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +7,578) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Helena are down 54% from 2024 to 2025 (468 → 216).
In 2025 the Helena area approved permits for 216 new homes (69 single-family), or 2.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #272 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 21 one-person businesses (no employees) in auto body & paint, averaging $52,333 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 14 auto body & paint companies that have employees (about 121 workers in total). 36% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $35,980 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Helena with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.