Which state pays vehicle maintenance and repair associate's graduates the most?

Minnesota, where the median program pays its graduates $51,478 in their first year, the highest of 5 state rankings. Iowa is next, at $47,882.

Which vehicle maintenance and repair associate's program pays the most?

Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach in Florida reports the highest first-year pay of the 129 programs ranked here, $76,663. Its median federal debt is $12,500.

How much debt do vehicle maintenance and repair associate's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $12,000 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 27% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Associate's) Programs in the US

130 programs report first-year pay
5 state rankings
Associate's in Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median vehicle maintenance and repair associate's program in the US pays its graduates $43,432 in their first year and $52,420 five years after. Minnesota has the highest state median ($51,478), and Pennsylvania the lowest ($38,008). The median program leaves its graduates with $12,000 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$43,432Across 130 programs

Median pay after 5 years$52,420Across 197 programs

Median federal debt$12,000Across 96 programs

Debt-to-earnings27%Across 93 programs

All 129 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Embry-Riddle Daytona BeachDaytona Beach, FL · private nonprofit	$76,663	Not adjusted	$85,087	$12,500	16%
2	Alexandria Technical & Community CollegeAlexandria, MN · public	$65,311	$66,224	$66,372	$12,000	18%
3	San Joaquin Valley College-VisaliaVisalia, CA · private for-profit	$64,326	$58,098	$75,646	$20,188	31%
4	Minneapolis Community and Technical CollegeMinneapolis, MN · public	$59,441	$60,272	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
5	Illinois Central CollegeEast Peoria, IL · public	$58,122	Not adjusted	$58,827	Not reported	Not reported
6	Community College of AuroraAurora, CO · public	$57,677	$55,969	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
7	Hennepin Technical CollegeBrooklyn Park, MN · public	$57,382	$58,184	$60,481	$12,000	21%
8	North Dakota State College of ScienceWahpeton, ND · public	$56,659	$63,691	$63,841	$11,835	21%
9	Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and TechnologyWichita, KS · public	$56,315	$62,525	Not reported	$14,000	25%
10	Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology (Colorado)Broomfield, CO · private for-profit	$55,219	$53,584	$62,631	$17,428	32%
11	Oklahoma State University Institute of TechnologyOkmulgee, OK · public	$55,088	Not adjusted	$69,426	$11,425	21%
12	Minnesota State Community and Technical CollegeFergus Falls, MN · public	$53,652	$54,402	$64,362	$12,000	22%
13	Pima Community CollegeTucson, AZ · public	$52,673	$52,319	$52,438	$5,625	11%
14	Southeast Community College AreaLincoln, NE · public	$52,556	$58,329	$55,467	$10,375	20%
15	Honolulu Community CollegeHonolulu, HI · public	$52,460	$47,712	$78,144	Not reported	Not reported
16	Pittsburgh Institute of AeronauticsWest Mifflin, PA · private nonprofit	$52,407	Not adjusted	$64,861	$16,163	31%
17	Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny, IA · public	$52,325	$59,621	$61,327	$9,624	18%
18	Northwest Iowa Community CollegeSheldon, IA · public	$52,174	$59,449	$51,849	$11,326	22%
19	Idaho StatePocatello, ID · public	$52,132	$54,592	$55,803	$14,572	28%
20	New Mexico Junior CollegeHobbs, NM · public	$52,024	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
21	St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeSaint Cloud, MN · public	$51,478	$52,198	$55,846	$12,000	23%
22	Vincennes UniversityVincennes, IN · public	$51,465	$55,144	$63,393	$12,000	23%
23	Dakota County Technical CollegeRosemount, MN · public	$51,116	$51,831	$62,963	$12,000	23%
24	Parkland CollegeChampaign, IL · public	$51,093	$51,114	$53,706	$7,000	14%
25	Salt Lake Community CollegeSalt Lake City, UT · public	$51,047	$51,634	$62,416	$12,500	24%
26	Indian Hills Community CollegeOttumwa, IA · public	$50,901	$57,999	$47,784	$11,500	23%
27	Tarrant County College DistrictFort Worth, TX · public	$50,531	$52,063	$71,094	$14,503	29%
28	Pennsylvania College of TechnologyWilliamsport, PA · public	$50,519	$51,776	$62,087	$12,000	24%
29	Iowa Central Community CollegeFort Dodge, IA · public	$49,556	$56,466	$55,687	$12,000	24%
30	Vermont StateRandolph, VT · public	$48,817	Not adjusted	$64,077	Not reported	Not reported
31	Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit	$48,705	$50,620	$52,602	$12,443	26%
32	Portland Community CollegePortland, OR · public	$48,144	$46,578	$64,976	$12,666	26%
33	Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI · public	$47,998	$51,010	$62,483	$11,000	23%
34	North Iowa Area Community CollegeMason City, IA · public	$47,882	$54,559	$53,412	$6,238	13%
35	Metropolitan Community College AreaOmaha, NE · public	$47,839	$53,094	$60,685	Not reported	Not reported
36	Hawkeye Community CollegeWaterloo, IA · public	$47,762	$54,422	$51,252	$12,000	25%
37	Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolk, VA · public	$47,722	$47,201	$54,590	$11,167	23%
38	Montana State University BillingsBillings, MT · public	$47,702	$50,401	$53,559	Not reported	Not reported
39	Aims Community CollegeGreeley, CO · public	$47,529	$46,121	$47,215	Not reported	Not reported
40	Hallmark UniversitySan Antonio, TX · private nonprofit	$47,446	$48,885	$60,838	$23,287	49%
41	SUNY MorrisvilleMorrisville, NY · public	$47,396	$43,917	$52,641	$12,000	25%
42	Lake Superior CollegeDuluth, MN · public	$47,206	$47,866	Not reported	$19,441	41%
43	Lake Area Technical CollegeWatertown, SD · public	$47,080	$53,146	$54,641	$12,000	25%
44	Iowa Western Community CollegeCouncil Bluffs, IA · public	$46,852	$53,385	$53,297	$13,000	28%
45	Lewis-Clark State CollegeLewiston, ID · public	$46,770	$48,977	$56,345	$12,000	26%
46	Central Community CollegeGrand Island, NE · public	$46,758	$51,894	$50,072	$5,500	12%
47	Helena College University of MontanaHelena, MT · public	$46,288	$48,907	$58,422	$14,028	30%
48	Southeast Technical CollegeSioux Falls, SD · public	$46,262	$52,223	$54,505	$12,000	26%
49	Cuyahoga Community College DistrictCleveland, OH · public	$46,249	$49,851	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
50	Columbia-Greene Community CollegeHudson, NY · public	$46,236	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
51	Universal Technical Institute-CantonCanton, MI · private for-profit	$45,896	$47,701	$59,200	$20,997	46%
52	Clark CollegeVancouver, WA · public	$45,656	$42,664	$59,905	$10,370	23%
53	Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown, NC · public	$45,604	$48,347	$56,129	$14,249	31%
54	Amarillo CollegeAmarillo, TX · public	$45,594	$46,977	$56,650	Not reported	Not reported
55	Dunwoody College of TechnologyMinneapolis, MN · private nonprofit	$45,469	$46,105	$64,684	$12,000	26%
56	Gateway Technical CollegeKenosha, WI · public	$45,246	$48,085	Not reported	$11,250	25%
57	Linn-Benton Community CollegeAlbany, OR · public	$44,906	$43,446	$40,620	Not reported	Not reported
58	Kirkwood Community CollegeCedar Rapids, IA · public	$44,896	$51,157	$54,430	$10,000	22%
59	Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotte, NC · public	$44,653	$47,339	$62,806	Not reported	Not reported
60	Northeast Community CollegeNorfolk, NE · public	$44,528	$49,419	$51,318	$11,739	26%
61	College of Southern IdahoTwin Falls, ID · public	$44,037	$46,115	$49,017	$7,743	18%
62	Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell, SD · public	$44,032	$49,705	$47,853	Not reported	Not reported
63	Hudson Valley Community CollegeTroy, NY · public	$43,799	$40,584	$59,676	$10,275	23%
64	Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeWellesley Hills, MA · public	$43,602	$41,228	$55,489	$7,272	17%
65	Ranken Technical CollegeSaint Louis, MO · private nonprofit	$43,491	$47,889	$56,203	$12,000	28%
66	Central Maine Community CollegeAuburn, ME · public	$43,372	$44,690	$58,739	$11,750	27%
67	Monroe Community CollegeRochester, NY · public	$43,272	$40,096	$58,299	$11,125	26%
68	Erie Community CollegeBuffalo, NY · public	$43,237	$40,064	Not reported	$11,000	25%
69	New York Automotive and Diesel InstituteJamaica, NY · private for-profit	$43,046	$39,887	Not reported	$20,674	48%
70	Lincoln College of Technology-IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · private for-profit	$42,896	$45,962	$52,774	$12,000	28%
71	State Technical College of MissouriLinn, MO · public	$42,544	$46,846	$47,955	$12,000	28%
72	Suffolk County Community CollegeSelden, NY · public	$42,496	$39,377	$73,505	$7,000	16%
73	University of Northwestern OhioLima, OH · private nonprofit	$42,338	Not adjusted	$56,462	$20,332	48%
74	Jefferson Community and Technical CollegeLouisville, KY · public	$42,224	$46,833	$56,184	$9,625	23%
75	Rosedale Technical CollegePittsburgh, PA · private nonprofit	$42,112	$43,160	$49,907	$12,000	28%
76	SUNY College of Technology at AlfredAlfred, NY · public	$41,994	$38,912	$56,578	$12,000	29%
77	Fort Hays State University-Northwest Kansas Technical CollegeGoodland, KS · public	$41,638	Not adjusted	$46,392	Not reported	Not reported
78	Austin Community College DistrictAustin, TX · public	$41,194	$42,443	$50,580	$10,230	25%
79	Northern Maine Community CollegePresque Isle, ME · public	$40,977	$42,223	$47,092	$11,276	28%
80	Baton Rouge Community CollegeBaton Rouge, LA · public	$40,880	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
81	Vaughn College of Aeronautics and TechnologyFlushing, NY · private nonprofit	$40,857	$37,858	$67,121	$20,000	49%
82	Universal Technical Institute-PhoenixAvondale, AZ · private for-profit	$40,213	$39,943	Not reported	$17,368	43%
83	Jones Technical InstituteJacksonville, FL · private nonprofit	$40,208	$38,881	$50,562	$18,311	46%
84	San Jacinto Community CollegePasadena, TX · public	$40,169	$41,387	$59,369	Not reported	Not reported
85	Houston City CollegeHouston, TX · public	$39,835	$41,043	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
86	Universal Technical Institute of ArizonaAvondale, AZ · private for-profit	$39,458	$39,193	$54,733	$17,389	44%
87	New England Institute of TechnologyEast Greenwich, RI · private nonprofit	$39,026	Not adjusted	$52,909	$13,762	35%
88	Forsyth Technical Community CollegeWinston-Salem, NC · public	$39,008	$41,354	$42,743	$7,916	20%
89	Greenville Technical CollegeGreenville, SC · public	$38,952	$41,549	$54,481	$11,000	28%
90	Arapahoe Community CollegeLittleton, CO · public	$38,845	$37,695	$76,480	Not reported	Not reported
91	Davidson-Davie Community CollegeThomasville, NC · public	$38,675	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
92	Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN · public	$38,670	$41,434	$49,082	$8,000	21%
93	Johnson CollegeScranton, PA · private nonprofit	$38,507	$39,465	$60,866	$12,000	31%
94	Texas State Technical CollegeWaco, TX · public	$38,506	$39,674	$54,421	$10,543	27%
95	Spartan College of Aeronautics & TechnologyInglewood, CA · private for-profit	$38,493	$34,766	$73,290	$23,609	61%
96	Dallas CollegeDallas, TX · public	$38,239	$39,398	$48,401	$7,959	21%
97	Spokane Community CollegeSpokane, WA · public	$38,197	$35,694	$49,295	$15,011	39%
98	Western Dakota Technical CollegeRapid City, SD · public	$38,031	$42,931	$57,387	$15,125	40%
99	Universal Technical Institute of TexasHouston, TX · private for-profit	$37,601	$38,741	Not reported	$17,360	46%
100	Western Iowa Tech Community CollegeSioux City, IA · public	$37,520	Not adjusted	$46,703	$11,000	29%
101	New Castle School of TradesNew Castle, PA · private for-profit	$37,509	$38,442	$40,278	$11,470	31%
102	Washtenaw Community CollegeAnn Arbor, MI · public	$37,457	$38,930	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
103	Rockland Community CollegeSuffern, NY · public	$37,262	$34,527	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
104	Lincoln Technical Institute-New BritainNew Britain, CT · private for-profit	$37,089	$35,797	$46,639	$19,016	51%
105	North Idaho CollegeCoeur d'Alene, ID · public	$36,909	$38,651	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
106	Front Range Community CollegeWestminster, CO · public	$36,836	$35,745	$43,493	Not reported	Not reported
107	Central New Mexico Community CollegeAlbuquerque, NM · public	$36,594	$39,685	$45,290	Not reported	Not reported
108	Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAsheville, NC · public	$36,536	$38,734	$48,356	Not reported	Not reported
109	Elizabethtown Community and Technical CollegeElizabethtown, KY · public	$36,087	Not adjusted	$51,808	Not reported	Not reported
110	Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of TechnologyBoston, MA · private nonprofit	$36,032	$34,071	$57,093	$13,375	37%
111	Chemeketa Community CollegeSalem, OR · public	$35,827	$34,662	$53,145	$10,616	30%
112	Ohio Technical CollegeCleveland, OH · private for-profit	$35,553	Not adjusted	$48,501	$12,000	34%
113	Itawamba Community CollegeFulton, MS · public	$35,127	$40,398	$38,778	Not reported	Not reported
114	Thaddeus Stevens College of TechnologyLancaster, PA · public	$35,020	$35,891	$47,791	$10,458	30%
115	Saint Paul CollegeSaint Paul, MN · public	$34,848	$35,335	$58,249	Not reported	Not reported
116	Intellitec College-Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CO · private for-profit	$34,423	$33,404	$43,291	$17,209	50%
117	Western Technical College (Texas)El Paso, TX · private for-profit	$34,336	$35,377	$38,685	$20,000	58%
118	Pennco Tech-BristolBristol, PA · private for-profit	$34,100	Not adjusted	$34,619	$20,166	59%
119	Northampton County Area Community CollegeBethlehem, PA · public	$33,081	$33,904	$65,626	Not reported	Not reported
120	Ozarks Technical Community CollegeSpringfield, MO · public	$32,633	$35,933	$44,304	$14,691	45%
121	Hawaii Community CollegeHilo, HI · public	$30,809	$28,021	$46,746	Not reported	Not reported
122	South Louisiana Community CollegeLafayette, LA · public	$30,348	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
123	South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX · public	$30,307	$31,226	$46,601	Not reported	Not reported
124	Intellitec College-Grand JunctionGrand Junction, CO · private for-profit	$29,909	$29,023	$35,879	$20,487	68%
125	Nashua Community CollegeNashua, NH · public	$29,652	$28,466	$52,890	$10,999	37%
126	Bronx Community CollegeBronx, NY · public	$29,047	$26,915	$55,504	Not reported	Not reported
127	Southwest University at El PasoEl Paso, TX · private for-profit	$27,925	$28,772	$34,193	$20,000	72%
128	Wilkes Community CollegeWilkesboro, NC · public	$27,564	$29,222	$44,165	Not reported	Not reported
129	College of Southern NevadaLas Vegas, NV · public	$26,635	$26,641	$53,640	Not reported	Not reported

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 112 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 17, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

37 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked. One more program reports pay but isn't listed, because College Scorecard's school file doesn't name its school. The national medians above still count them.

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Associate's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's vehicle maintenance and repair associate's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Minnesota	9	$51,478	$12,000
2	Iowa	9	$47,882	$11,326
3	New York	11	$43,046	$11,563
4	Texas	12	$39,171	$15,932
5	Pennsylvania	8	$38,008	$12,000

Programs in 35 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

North Iowa Area Community College, IA$6,238
Suffolk County Community College, NY$7,000
Dallas College, TX$7,959
Des Moines Area Community College, IA$9,624
Kirkwood Community College, IA$10,000
Austin Community College District, TX$10,230
Hudson Valley Community College, NY$10,275
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, PA$10,458
Texas State Technical College, TX$10,543
Erie Community College, NY$11,000

Lowest debt for the pay

North Iowa Area Community College, IA13%
Suffolk County Community College, NY16%
Alexandria Technical & Community College, MN18%
Des Moines Area Community College, IA18%
Dallas College, TX21%
Hennepin Technical College, MN21%
Northwest Iowa Community College, IA22%
Kirkwood Community College, IA22%
Minnesota State Community and Technical College, MN22%
Indian Hills Community College, IA23%

Only the 39 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to vehicle maintenance and repair, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics

$50,620

Median pay in the US. 704,640 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $34,660Top 10%: $81,790

First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

$79,860

Median pay in the US. 617,500 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 48,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $49,600Top 10%: $126,790

Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists

$61,770

Median pay in the US. 289,960 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $44,530Top 10%: $88,740

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$48,250

Median pay in the US. 158,740 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 15,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $36,260Top 10%: $74,730

Common questions

The median vehicle maintenance and repair associate's program in the US pays its graduates $43,432 in their first year and $52,420 five years after.

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Certificate) programs in the US, ranked223 programs by pay and debt

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024