Statewide

• In May 2009, automotive mechanics in New Jersey made an average of $19.35 per hour and $40,250 per year, according to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Wages for the lowest-paid for the lowest paid 25 percent of automotive service technicians in the state were $13.70 per hour and $28,450 or less per year. The highest-paid 25 percent of mechanics in New Jersey earned salaries of $24.50 per hour and $50,930 or more per year.
  
  

Northern

• Mechanics working in Warren County were the lowest-paid statewide as of 2009, reports the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Automotive service technicians in the county made an average of $35,050 per year, nearly 13 percent below the statewide average. In Bergen, Hudson and Passaic Counties mechanics earned an average of $39,400 per year. For automotive service technicians in Essex, Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex and Union Counties, salaries for mechanics averaged $40,760 annually, the second-highest statewide.
  
  

Central

• Mechanics employed in Mercer County enjoyed the highest average annual salaries statewide as of 2009, reports the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Salaries for technicians in the county averaged $44,460 annually, approximately 10 percent above the statewide average. Automotive service techs working in Middlesex, Somerset, Monmouth and Ocean Counties earned an average of $40,500 per year, the third-highest rates of pay statewide. Those working in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties made an average of $40,150 annually, the lowest in central New Jersey.
  
  

Southern

• With salaries averaging $40,340 annually, Cape May County served as the highest-paying area for mechanics in southern New Jersey as of 2009, explains the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. In Atlantic County, automotive service technicians made an average of $40,240, just $10 less per year than the statewide average. Automotive service technicians in Salem County earned an average of $37,580 annually, while those in Cumberland County averaged yearly salaries of $36,250. The counties ranked as the third and second-lowest paying areas, respectively, for mechanics statewide.