Statewide pay Government data
Auto mechanics in Idaho earn a statewide median of $48,420 a year, 1% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #36 of 50 states and DC. About 5,030 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Idaho
See all states on the auto mechanics nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes auto mechanic pay for 6 Idaho metros: Boise City, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Lewiston, Pocatello and Twin Falls.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coeur d'AleneIDAHO · ID | $50,910 | $51,794 | 490 |
| LewistonIDAHO · ID | $48,870 | $53,609 | 190 |
| Boise CityIDAHO · ID | $48,630 | $49,425 | 2,030 |
| Idaho FallsIDAHO · ID | $48,320 | $51,180 | 580 |
| Twin FallsIDAHO · ID | $46,990 | $51,016 | 360 |
| PocatelloIDAHO · ID | $46,450 | $52,246 | 200 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Idaho's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,200 openings a year. Typical training: short-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, auto mechanics have 204 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 2.4× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often auto mechanics deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Where to train in Idaho Government data
7 schools in Idaho offer vehicle maintenance and repair programs below the bachelor's level, 6 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.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $46,747 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Western Idaho Nampa, ID · Public | Certificate | $18,246 | 131 | $40,541 |
| Idaho State University Pocatello, ID · Public | Certificate | $21,499 | 62 | $49,820 |
| College of Western Idaho Nampa, ID · Public | Associate degree | $18,246 | 47 | $43,674 |
| North Idaho College Coeur d'Alene, ID · Public | Certificate | $13,884 | 43 | $39,227 |
| Idaho State University Pocatello, ID · Public | Associate degree | $21,499 | 41 | $60,852 |
| Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $16,626 | 31 | — |
| College of Southern Idaho Twin Falls, ID · Public | Associate degree | $19,290 | 20 | $50,820 |
| Lewis-Clark State College Lewiston, ID · Public | Associate degree | $22,863 | 17 | — |
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.
Licensing in Idaho Official source
The main state licensing office in Idaho is the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses. It can point you to the right license for auto mechanics.
Official Idaho licensing site ↗
Requirements for auto mechanics vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 4.1% of wage and salary workers in Idaho were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#45 of 51 states and D.C.), and 5.3% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only auto mechanics.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Idaho
All trades in Idaho.