Statewide pay Government data
Auto mechanics in Wisconsin earn a statewide median of $54,350 a year, 11% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #17 of 50 states and DC. About 12,270 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Wisconsin
See all states on the auto mechanics nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes auto mechanic pay for 13 Wisconsin metros. The highest-paying is Milwaukee at $62,530, followed by Madison and Appleton.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| MilwaukeeWISCONSIN · WI | $62,530 | $64,506 | 3,170 |
| MadisonWISCONSIN · WI | $60,650 | $62,341 | 1,270 |
| AppletonWISCONSIN · WI | $58,060 | $62,823 | 640 |
| KenoshaWISCONSIN · WI | $57,540 | $56,904 | 310 |
| Green BayWISCONSIN · WI | $56,180 | $60,353 | 640 |
| Fond du LacWISCONSIN · WI | $54,300 | $59,252 | 260 |
| JanesvilleWISCONSIN · WI | $53,240 | $56,818 | 390 |
| WausauWISCONSIN · WI | $53,100 | $57,312 | 340 |
| OshkoshWISCONSIN · WI | $52,040 | $56,000 | 360 |
| SheboyganWISCONSIN · WI | $51,080 | $54,332 | 310 |
| RacineWISCONSIN · WI | $50,320 | $52,438 | 350 |
| Eau ClaireWISCONSIN · WI | $50,280 | $54,183 | 370 |
| La CrosseWISCONSIN · WI | $50,180 | $54,681 | 370 |
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 Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin Government data
16 schools in Wisconsin 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.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $42,886 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI · Public | Certificate | $20,817 | 200 | $53,739 |
| Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI · Public | Certificate | $18,730 | 159 | $42,872 |
| Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI · Public | Certificate | $16,793 | 82 | — |
| Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI · Public | Certificate | $17,700 | 81 | $42,853 |
| Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire, WI · Public | Certificate | $17,301 | 66 | $41,524 |
| Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI · Public | Certificate | $15,993 | 64 | $43,839 |
| Northwood Technical College Rice Lake, WI · Public | Certificate | $23,164 | 55 | $39,757 |
| Western Technical College La Crosse, WI · Public | Certificate | $17,552 | 54 | $41,071 |
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 Wisconsin Official source
The main state licensing office in Wisconsin is the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. It can point you to the right license for auto mechanics.
Official Wisconsin licensing site ↗
Requirements for auto mechanics vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.4% of wage and salary workers in Wisconsin were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#30 of 51 states and D.C.), and 7.5% 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 Wisconsin
All trades in Wisconsin.