How much does an Auto Mechanic make in Arkansas?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $43,830 for Auto Mechanics in Arkansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $34,700 and the 75th-percentile is $58,410.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Auto Mechanic salary in Arkansas?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 86.8 for Arkansas), the real-wage equivalent is $50,490 — what the $43,830 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $39,972 to $67,285.

How are Arkansas Auto Mechanic salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

How many Auto Mechanics does Arkansas employ?

BLS OES counts 6,280 Auto Mechanics employed in Arkansas in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Arkansas rank for Auto Mechanic pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Arkansas ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Arkansas?

P10 to P90 spans $29,770 to $75,050. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Arkansas.

Arkansas Automotive Mechanic Salary: BLS $44K Median, Real $50K (2026)

TL;DR

Automotive Mechanics in Arkansas earn a BLS median of $43,830, with real take-home of $50,490 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Bottom quartile $34,700, top quartile $58,410. The P90 ($75,050) is roughly 2.5× the P10 ($29,770).
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $6,660 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #36 of 51; nominal rank is #47.

Wage breakdown — Arkansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$29,770	$34,293
P25 (lower quartile)	$34,700	$39,972
P50 (median)	$43,830	$50,490
P75 (upper quartile)	$58,410	$67,285
P90 (top tier)	$75,050	$86,453
Mean	$47,900	$55,178
Employment	6,280 Auto Mechanics in Arkansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Arkansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	86.8
Goods	93.1
Services	81.9
Rents	56.7

Arkansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 86.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 56.7.

After-tax take-home — Arkansas (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Auto Mechanic)	$43,830	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,122	7.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,210	0–3.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,353	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$36,145	82.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$41,637	÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Arkansas state-tax burden means for Auto Mechanic take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $36,145 (82.5% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $41,637.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $49,670 for Auto Mechanics with mean pay of $55,260 and total employment of 688,840. Arkansas sits at #47 on nominal pay and #36 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arkansas climbs 11 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Auto Mechanic make in Arkansas?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $43,830 for Auto Mechanics in Arkansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $34,700 and the 75th-percentile is $58,410.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Auto Mechanic salary in Arkansas?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 86.8 for Arkansas), the real-wage equivalent is $50,490 — what the $43,830 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $39,972 to $67,285.
How are Arkansas Auto Mechanic salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
How many Auto Mechanics does Arkansas employ?: BLS OES counts 6,280 Auto Mechanics employed in Arkansas in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Arkansas rank for Auto Mechanic pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Arkansas ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Arkansas?: P10 to P90 spans $29,770 to $75,050. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Arkansas.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 49-3023, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-08.

Cross-comparison: see how Arkansas Auto Mechanic pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.