Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics in New Jersey
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$46,086
after federal, FICA and New Jersey tax
Tax takes
$10,524
18.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,326
New Jersey costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in New Jersey — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$56,610
Kept after tax
$46,086
Worth in national money
$42,326
State rank
16
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is strong here. New Jersey's middle earner gets $56,610, putting the state 16 of 51 — about 11.83% ahead of the national figure.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 317 among 490 occupations New Jersey publishes pay for.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $56,610 the take-home is $46,086. But New Jersey costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $42,326 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $58,830, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For automotive service technicians and mechanics, New Jersey sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $56,610, ranking 16 of 51 and running about 11.83% above the national midpoint. Nominal advantage of this size is usually, though not always, large enough to survive the state's own tax and price levels.
- Position 317 of 490 in New Jersey places automotive service technicians and mechanics in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and New Jersey income tax is $46,086 for automotive service technicians and mechanics, from $56,610. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $42,326. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $58,830 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $33,500 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $56,610 |
| Top tenth earn over | $91,210 |
| This salary | $56,610 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in New Jersey | $46,086 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $47,666 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,726 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $54,644 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$8,134 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 109 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of automotive service technicians and mechanics in New Jersey earn under $56,610 and half over. The published range runs $33,500 at the tenth percentile to $91,210 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind New Jersey's $46,086, worked from $56,610. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 317 of 490.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $42,326 uses one figure for the whole of New Jersey. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 490 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 317.
- Figures are distribution medians for automotive service technicians and mechanics in New Jersey, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $33,500 to $91,210; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The New Jersey take-home of $46,086, on $56,610 for work ranking 317 of 490 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 317 of 490 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $42,326, worked from $56,610, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular New Jersey address, on work sitting at 317 of 490 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $58,830, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $33,500 at the bottom tenth to $91,210 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $42,326 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; New Jersey then takes its own share, leaving $46,086.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in New Jersey is $58,830. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($33,500) and the ninetieth ($91,210) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
New Jersey's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $42,326 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $46,086 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and New Jersey income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.