Auto Body Repairers in the Hickory area earn a median of $48,080 a year, 7% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #272 of 363 metros for auto body repairers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Charlotte and Asheville, but less in Johnson City.
It's one of 14 North Carolina metros with published pay for this trade; see auto body repairer pay in North Carolina.
Auto Body Repairer pay in Hickory at a glance
- Auto body repairers in the Hickory, NC metro earn a median $48,080 a year ($23.11 an hour), #272 of 363 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $35,920 and $75,690.
- After local prices, that median buys what $54,336 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $965 a month, 24% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among auto body repairers in Hickory.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for auto body repairers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (3.8%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.2% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 128 one-person auto body & paint businesses averaging $72,039 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $64/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Hickory scorecard for auto body repairers Our calculation
Grades compare Hickory 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 Hickory area went from $43,120 in 2020 to $48,080 in 2025, up 11.5%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -11.1% — 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 Hickory Our calculation
Prices in Hickory run 12% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $54,336 would in a typical place, ranking #203 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 Hickory 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 North Carolina Official source
The main state licensing office in North Carolina is the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical and plumbing/HVAC have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for auto body repairers.
Official North Carolina 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 NC metros for auto body repairers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| CharlotteNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $55,790 | $57,310 | 1,850 |
| DurhamNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $52,440 | $53,745 | 160 |
| RaleighNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $51,130 | $52,090 | 650 |
| WilmingtonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $50,060 | $51,918 | 200 |
| AshevilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $49,740 | $51,541 | 200 |
| WinstonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $49,520 | $53,801 | 320 |
| BurlingtonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $49,300 | $52,899 | 100 |
| GreenvilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $49,050 | $55,485 | 60 |
| GreensboroNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $48,930 | $52,689 | 440 |
| HickoryNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $48,080 | $54,336 | 180 |
See every metro in North Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Hickory area's unemployment rate was 3.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just auto body repairers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Hickory area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 12% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 82% drive alone, 0% take transit and 7% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Hickory area's population grew 3.2% from 2020 to 2025 (365,142 → 376,890), ranking #159 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +19,572) 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 Hickory are up 67% from 2021 to 2025 (1,880 → 3,136).
In 2025 the Hickory area approved permits for 3,136 new homes (2,434 single-family), or 8.5 per 1,000 residents, ranking #46 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 128 one-person businesses (no employees) in auto body & paint, averaging $72,039 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Hickory compares among the best cities to start an auto body repairer business.
They compete with 56 auto body & paint companies that have employees (about 357 workers in total). 55% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Where to train near Hickory Government data
4 schools in or near Hickory offer vehicle maintenance and repair programs below the bachelor's level. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro, NC · Public | Certificate | $10,787 | 84 | $34,422 |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC · Public | Certificate | $11,351 | 36 | — |
| Catawba Valley Community College Hickory, NC · Public | Certificate | $16,914 | 30 | — |
| Catawba Valley Community College Hickory, NC · Public | Associate degree | $16,914 | 15 | — |
| Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro, NC · Public | Associate degree | $10,787 | 9 | — |
| Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Hudson, NC · Public | Associate degree | $11,351 | 5 | — |
| McDowell Technical Community College Marion, NC · Public | Certificate | $16,724 | 4 | — |
| McDowell Technical Community College Marion, NC · Public | Associate degree | $16,724 | 3 | — |
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 $48,080 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 Hickory with another city →
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ToolBest cities for auto body repairersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in HickorySee where it falls among local auto body repairers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolHickory budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Hickory 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 Hickory against every other metro for auto body repairers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.