Career profile · 49-3021
Automotive Body and Related Repairers
Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.
What the work can involve
- File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools.
- Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.
- Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.
- Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders.
- Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take.
- Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves some prior preparation and on-the-job learning. Check the specific employer, occupational credential and state requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- English Language
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Getting Information
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 39.2%08/2019 · sample 15 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 99.9%08/2019 · sample 16 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 100.0%08/2019 · sample 16 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Every day | 81.3%08/2019 · sample 16 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 55.5%08/2019 · sample 16 |
| Spend Time Standing | More than half the time | 51.9%08/2019 · sample 16 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 95.0%08/2019 · sample 16 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 53.3%08/2019 · sample 15 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 88.3%08/2019 · sample 16 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 78.4%08/2019 · sample 14 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Accounting software: Accounts receivable software
- Analytical or scientific software: Collision damage estimation software, Collision damage measurement software, Paint mixing and matching software, Swan River Estimiser Pro
- Calendar and scheduling software: Appointment scheduling software
- Data base user interface and query software: AutoZone ALLDATA, Equipment management information software
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Inventory management software: Materials management software
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
- Point of sale POS software: Automotive and Accounting Software by R*KOM Invoice Writer
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software: Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for automotive body and related repairers
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 51 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $52,040 | $25.02 | 1,810 |
| Alaska | $61,680 | $29.65 | 270 |
| Arizona | $54,510 | $26.21 | 2,750 |
| Arkansas | $49,310 | $23.71 | 1,140 |
| California | $66,860 | $32.14 | 14,050 |
| Colorado | $59,880 | $28.79 | 3,120 |
| Connecticut | $58,220 | $27.99 | 1,850 |
| Delaware | $48,780 | $23.45 | 340 |
| District of Columbia | $62,640 | $30.11 | 30 |
| Florida | $48,600 | $23.36 | 9,220 |
| Georgia | $51,190 | $24.61 | 4,680 |
| Hawaii | $60,540 | $29.11 | 450 |
| Idaho | $49,200 | $23.65 | 850 |
| Illinois | $52,020 | $25.01 | 5,750 |
| Indiana | $51,160 | $24.60 | 3,780 |
| Iowa | $49,400 | $23.75 | 1,830 |
| Kansas | $48,920 | $23.52 | 1,530 |
| Kentucky | $46,080 | $22.15 | 1,680 |
| Louisiana | $47,150 | $22.67 | 1,660 |
| Maine | $50,350 | $24.21 | 680 |
| Maryland | $56,100 | $26.97 | 2,930 |
| Massachusetts | $59,300 | $28.51 | 3,060 |
| Michigan | $56,880 | $27.35 | 5,010 |
| Minnesota | $60,970 | $29.31 | 2,910 |
| Mississippi | $49,500 | $23.80 | 1,380 |
| Missouri | $60,540 | $29.11 | 4,350 |
| Montana | $57,500 | $27.65 | 500 |
| Nebraska | $54,130 | $26.02 | 1,120 |
| Nevada | $60,520 | $29.10 | 1,020 |
| New Hampshire | $52,790 | $25.38 | 750 |
| New Jersey | $62,400 | $30.00 | 3,720 |
| New Mexico | $48,260 | $23.20 | 810 |
| New York | $47,670 | $22.92 | 8,530 |
| North Carolina | $50,520 | $24.29 | 5,180 |
| North Dakota | $55,160 | $26.52 | 680 |
| Ohio | $49,080 | $23.60 | 5,950 |
| Oklahoma | $48,810 | $23.47 | 2,330 |
| Oregon | $60,000 | $28.85 | 1,660 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,660 | $25.80 | 6,650 |
| Rhode Island | $72,490 | $34.85 | 800 |
| South Carolina | $53,290 | $25.62 | 2,140 |
| South Dakota | $49,460 | $23.78 | 800 |
| Tennessee | $47,460 | $22.82 | 3,970 |
| Texas | $51,700 | $24.86 | 14,070 |
| Utah | $50,200 | $24.14 | 1,590 |
| Vermont | $50,900 | $24.47 | 320 |
| Virginia | $57,760 | $27.77 | 3,720 |
| Washington | $58,340 | $28.05 | 2,330 |
| West Virginia | $47,090 | $22.64 | 670 |
| Wisconsin | $56,660 | $27.24 | 2,690 |
| Wyoming | $49,200 | $23.66 | 200 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 491 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers→
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders→
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 49-3021.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.