Statewide pay Government data
Auto mechanics in West Virginia earn a statewide median of $37,660 a year, 23% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #51 of 50 states and DC. About 4,490 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near West Virginia
See all states on the auto mechanic overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes auto mechanic pay for 7 West Virginia metros. The highest-paying is Wheeling at $42,030, followed by Charleston and Weirton.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| WheelingWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $42,030 | $47,587 | 400 |
| CharlestonWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $41,390 | $46,654 | 690 |
| WeirtonWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $40,670 | $45,684 | 170 |
| BeckleyWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $37,340 | $42,255 | 380 |
| ParkersburgWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $37,250 | $42,784 | 330 |
| HuntingtonWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $37,240 | $42,116 | 920 |
| MorgantownWEST VIRGINIA · WV | $37,060 | $39,712 | 360 |
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 West Virginia'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 West Virginia Government data
9 schools in West Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierpont Community and Technical College Fairmont, WV · Public | Certificate | $13,276 | 32 | — |
| Pierpont Community and Technical College Fairmont, WV · Public | Associate degree | $13,276 | 31 | $55,957 |
| James Rumsey Technical Institute Martinsburg, WV · Public | Certificate | $19,912 | 17 | — |
| New River Community and Technical College Beaver, WV · Public | Associate degree | $11,796 | 6 | — |
| Fred W Eberle Technical Center Buckhannon, WV · Public | Certificate | $5,397 | 5 | — |
| Cabell County Career Technology Center Huntington, WV · Public | Certificate | $9,129 | 5 | — |
| New River Community and Technical College Beaver, WV · Public | Certificate | $11,796 | 5 | — |
| BridgeValley Community & Technical College South Charleston, WV · Public | Associate degree | $12,811 | 4 | — |
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 West Virginia Official source
The main state licensing office in West Virginia is the West Virginia Division of Labor. It can point you to the right license for auto mechanics.
Official West Virginia licensing site ↗
Requirements for auto mechanics vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 8.5% of wage and salary workers in West Virginia were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#26 of 51 states and D.C.), and 9.1% 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 West Virginia
All trades in West Virginia.