National Wages

• The median annual salary for first-line supervisors of auto body shops was $59,150 as of May 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top 10 percent of these first-line supervisors earned more than $91,060 while the bottom 10 percent earned annual wages of less than $35,980. Automotive body and related repairers from across the U.S. earned median annual salaries of $38,130. The top 10 percent earned in excess of $64,320 per year while the bottom 10 percent earned less than $22,990.
  
  

California Wages

• The mean hourly wage for California-based automotive body and related repairers was $21.82 as of May 2010, according to the BLS. The top 10 percent earned more than $68,010 per year, while the bottom 10 percent earned less than $27,210. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers earned median annual wages of $66,610. The top 10 percent of auto body shop supervisors earned in excess of $101,040 while the bottom 10 percent earned less than $41,310.
  
  

Local Wages

• Salaries for body shop managers in California may be affected by the local economy. The median annual salary for automotive body and related repairers in Bakersfield was $40,840 while those who worked in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metropolitan area earned median wages of $62,310. Bakersfield-based auto body repairers who worked as first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers earned median annual wages of $69,050 while their counterparts in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura area earned $75,520.
  
  

Employment

• There were approximately 48,720 jobs for first-line supervisors and automotive body and related repairers in the state of California as of May 2010, according to the BLS. The BLS expects growth in new jobs in the auto body repair industry to grow by less than one percent between 2008 and 2018. Auto body shops will have the greatest need for repairers who have formal training and certification. Certified repairers who also have management experience or training should have the best opportunities to advance to a body shop manager's position.