Automotive Mechanic · Oregon · SOC 49-3023
2026 Automotive Mechanic Pay in Oregon: BLS Median + Real Take-Home
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-08.
TL;DR
- BLS reports Oregon Auto Mechanic median pay at $56,720. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $54,116.
- P25-P75 spread runs $44,710 to $69,310; P10 floor $37,560, P90 ceiling $79,830.
- Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
- Auto Mechanic ranking: #12 on the BLS table, #14 once cost of living is in.
Wage breakdown — Oregon
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $37,560 | $35,836 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $44,710 | $42,657 |
| P50 (median) | $56,720 | $54,116 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $69,310 | $66,128 |
| P90 (top tier) | $79,830 | $76,165 |
| Mean | $58,510 | $55,824 |
| Employment | 6,900 Auto Mechanics in Oregon | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Oregon index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 104.8 |
| Goods | 104.8 |
| Services | 91.0 |
| Rents | 109.2 |
Oregon's overall RPP (104.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Oregon (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) | $56,720 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$4,668 | 8.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$4,422 | 4.75–9.9% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$4,339 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $43,291 | 76.3% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $41,303 | ÷ (104.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Oregon state-tax burden means for Auto Mechanic take-home
Oregon carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (7.8% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 23.7%, leaving $43,291 pre-RPP and $41,303 after the 104.8 cost-of-living index — a $15,417 gap from the headline gross.
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. Oregon sits at #12 on nominal pay and #14 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Oregon falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an Auto Mechanic make in Oregon?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $56,720 for Auto Mechanics in Oregon as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $44,710 and the 75th-percentile is $69,310.
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Auto Mechanic salary in Oregon?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 104.8 for Oregon), the real-wage equivalent is $54,116 — what the $56,720 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $42,657 to $66,128.
- How are Oregon 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.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Oregon different from a single CPI number?
- BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Oregon's overall index of 104.8 reflects rents 109.2, services 91.0, and goods 104.8.
- Where does Oregon rank for Auto Mechanic pay?
- On nominal BLS wages alone, Oregon 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 Oregon?
- P10 to P90 spans $37,560 to $79,830. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- Is Oregon a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Auto Mechanics?
- No — Oregon's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
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.
Cross-comparison: see how Oregon 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.