Automotive employment is not one single U.S. statistical category. The measures below separate manufacturing industries, dealers and retailers, occupations, payroll groups, survey estimates, forecasts and technology-defined jobs, with dates and definitions stated for each figure.
Key Automotive Employment Statistics
The most broadly useful U.S. automotive employment figures include:
- In June 2024, 306.3 thousand people worked in motor vehicle manufacturing in the United States according to BLS payroll data.
- In June 2024, motor vehicle parts manufacturing employed 586.9 thousand U.S. workers.
- In June 2024, motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing employed 177.1 thousand people in the United States.
- In November 2024, 821.6 thousand production and nonsupervisory employees worked in U.S. motor vehicles and parts.
- In November 2024, U.S. motor-vehicle and parts dealers had 1,733.9 thousand production and nonsupervisory employees.
- In November 2024, automobile dealers had 1,105.3 thousand production and nonsupervisory employees in the United States.
- In November 2024, automotive parts, accessories and tire retailers had 497.9 thousand production and nonsupervisory employees.
- In May 2024, U.S. automobile dealers employed 259,640 automotive service technicians and mechanics in an OEWS industry survey estimate.
- In May 2024, automobile dealers employed 228,660 retail salespersons in the United States.
- In the latest 2024 BLS reference series, women held 74.5 thousand motor-vehicle manufacturing jobs, or 23.7% of that industry’s payroll employment.
- In the latest 2024 BLS reference series, women represented 40.1% of motor-vehicle electrical and electronic-equipment manufacturing employment.
- BLS projects U.S. motor-vehicle manufacturing employment to rise from 302,000 jobs in 2024 to 318,200 in 2034.
- The 2024 median annual wage in U.S. motor-vehicle manufacturing was $69,900.
- In May 2024, 688,840 automotive service technicians and mechanics were employed across U.S. industries.
- BLS projects 67,800 annual openings for automotive service technicians and mechanics during 2023–33.
- In 2023, about 2.8 million EVs represented about 1.1% of the U.S. vehicle stock.
- NREL projects a need for 26 million to 35 million charging ports in the United States by 2030.
- From 2022 to 2023, battery-electric-vehicle technology added 17,064 U.S. jobs, a 12.9% increase.
Contents
- Key Automotive Employment Statistics
- Automotive Manufacturing Employment Statistics by Segment
- Automotive Dealer and Parts-Retail Employment Trends
- Automotive Occupations Inside Dealerships and Parts Retailers
- Women’s Employment in Automotive Manufacturing
- Automotive Wages, Openings and Job Projections
- Electric-Vehicle Employment and Workforce Transition Data
Automotive Manufacturing Employment Statistics by Segment
BLS reported 306.3 thousand nonfarm payroll jobs in U.S. motor vehicle manufacturing in June 2024. The same June 2024 series counted 177.1 thousand jobs in motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing and 586.9 thousand in motor vehicle parts manufacturing.
| Manufacturing segment | June 2024 employment | Definition or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Motor vehicle manufacturing | 306.3 thousand | BLS payroll employment |
| Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing | 177.1 thousand | NAICS 3362 |
| Motor vehicle parts manufacturing | 586.9 thousand | NAICS 3363 |
| Gasoline-engine and engine-parts manufacturing | 59.0 thousand | Subset of parts manufacturing |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 62.7 thousand | Detailed industry subset |
| Steering and suspension components | 34.3 thousand | Excludes spring manufacturing |
| Transmission and powertrain parts | 86.8 thousand | Detailed NAICS subset |
| Motor-vehicle metal stamping | 85.7 thousand | Detailed NAICS subset |
| Brake, seating, interior-trim and other parts | 258.4 thousand | Combined BLS grouping |
These detailed categories are not a single additive total: several are subsets or groupings within parts manufacturing. In November 2024, BLS separately recorded 821.6 thousand production and nonsupervisory employees in motor vehicles and parts, a narrower payroll measure than total employment.
Automotive Dealer and Parts-Retail Employment Trends
The U.S. dealership and retail side was larger than the November 2024 production-and-nonsupervisory manufacturing measure, but the populations are not directly interchangeable. BLS counted 1,733.9 thousand production and nonsupervisory employees across motor-vehicle and parts dealers in November 2024.
| Dealer or retailer category | November 2024 employment | BLS scope |
|---|---|---|
| Motor-vehicle and parts dealers | 1,733.9 thousand | Production and nonsupervisory, seasonally adjusted |
| Automobile dealers | 1,105.3 thousand | NAICS 4411 |
| New-car dealers | 970.6 thousand | NAICS 44111 |
| Used-car dealers | 135.0 thousand | NAICS 44112 |
| Other motor-vehicle dealers | 131.4 thousand | NAICS 4412 |
| Parts, accessories and tire retailers | 497.9 thousand | NAICS 4413 |
| Automotive-parts and accessories retailers | 329.3 thousand | NAICS 44133 |
| Tire dealers | 168.0 thousand | NAICS 44134 |
The table distinguishes new-car and used-car dealers from other motor-vehicle dealers, and parts retailers from tire dealers. Because these are seasonally adjusted production-and-nonsupervisory series, they should not be added to the manufacturing total or to occupation estimates from OEWS.
Automotive Occupations Inside Dealerships and Parts Retailers
OEWS industry estimates show the occupational mix inside automotive businesses. In May 2024, U.S. automobile dealers employed 259,640 automotive service technicians and mechanics, 228,660 retail salespersons and 75,310 vehicle and equipment cleaners.
Source: BLS Data tables for OEWS industry charts, May 2024
Other automobile-dealer occupations included 59,750 parts salespersons, 51,690 counter and rental clerks and 42,440 customer-service representatives. These are industry-specific employer-survey estimates, and self-employed workers are excluded.
Automotive-parts, accessories and tire retailers employed 117,730 parts salespersons, 74,340 tire repairers and changers, and 46,870 automotive service technicians and mechanics in May 2024. Other motor-vehicle dealers employed 12,850 recreational-vehicle service technicians and 11,570 motorcycle mechanics.
| Industry and occupation | May 2024 employment | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Automobile dealers — service technicians and mechanics | 259,640 | Industry-specific OEWS estimate |
| Automobile dealers — retail salespersons | 228,660 | Industry-specific OEWS estimate |
| Parts, accessories and tire retailers — parts salespersons | 117,730 | Industry-specific OEWS estimate |
| Parts, accessories and tire retailers — tire repairers and changers | 74,340 | Industry-specific OEWS estimate |
| Other motor-vehicle dealers — RV service technicians | 12,850 | Industry-specific OEWS estimate |
The figures above describe jobs inside selected industries, whereas an occupation total can cover many industries and may include self-employment. That distinction matters when comparing dealership employment with the national technician workforce.
Women’s Automotive Employment Statistics in Manufacturing
The latest 2024 BLS women-on-payroll reference series reports 74.5 thousand women in motor-vehicle manufacturing, representing 23.7% of industry employment. It also reports 26.5 thousand women in motor-vehicle body and trailer manufacturing, or 15.2% of that industry’s payroll.
| Industry | Women employees | Women’s share of industry employment |
|---|---|---|
| Motor-vehicle manufacturing | 74.5 thousand | 23.7% |
| Motor-vehicle body and trailer manufacturing | 26.5 thousand | 15.2% |
| Motor-vehicle parts manufacturing | 166.3 thousand | 29.0% |
| Motor-vehicle electrical and electronic equipment | 24.0 thousand | 40.1% |
Women held 166.3 thousand motor-vehicle parts manufacturing jobs and 24.0 thousand motor-vehicle electrical and electronic-equipment manufacturing jobs in the same reference series. The shares are industry payroll shares, not representation across all automotive occupations or all automotive employment.
Automotive Wages, Openings and Job Projections
BLS projects U.S. motor-vehicle manufacturing employment to rise from 302,000 wage-and-salary jobs in 2024 to 318,200 in 2034, a projected increase of 16,200 jobs and 5% growth. The 2024 median annual wage in the industry was $69,900.
Source: BLS, Producing the goods of the future: Job opportunities in manufacturing
For automotive service technicians and mechanics across industries, BLS reported 688,840 employed workers in May 2024. The occupation’s May 2024 mean wage was $26.57 per hour, or $55,260 per year.
Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2024
BLS projects 67,800 annual openings for automotive service technicians and mechanics during 2023–33, including replacement needs as well as employment growth. The occupation is projected to grow 2.7%, from 794.6 thousand jobs in 2023 to 815.9 thousand in 2033; this occupation total includes self-employment, unlike the industry wage-and-salary projection.
Tire repairers and changers are projected to grow 5.3%, from 107.6 thousand jobs in 2023 to 113.3 thousand in 2033. These are occupation projections across the economy, not counts limited to tire dealers.
Source: BLS, Industry and occupational employment projections overview and highlights, 2023–33
Electric-Vehicle Employment and Workforce Transition Data
The BLS-cited estimate for 2023 places the U.S. vehicle stock at about 2.8 million EVs, or about 1.1% of total vehicle stock. This is a stock estimate, not annual sales, and its EV definition follows the underlying source.
BLS projects automotive mechanical and electrical repair-and-maintenance employment to grow 1.6% from 2023 to 2033, while other automotive repair-and-maintenance employment is projected to grow 2.4%. Automotive and watercraft service-attendant employment is projected to decline 0.1% over the same period.
NREL projects a need for 26 million to 35 million charging ports by 2030, paired with 30 million to 42 million plug-in-hybrid and battery-electric vehicles. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $7.5 billion for EV charging, and the federal charging program targets a national network of 500,000 charging ports; funding and targets are not measures of completed employment or infrastructure.
The charging buildout also connects to broader electrical work. Electrical contractors and other wiring-installation contractors are projected to add 70,500 jobs from 2023 to 2033, representing 6.6% growth, but these are broader infrastructure jobs rather than exclusively automotive positions.
Source: BLS, Industry and occupational employment projections overview and highlights, 2023–33
DOE’s 2024 U.S. Energy & Employment Report estimates that clean-vehicle and component-parts technology jobs grew 11.0% from 2022 to 2023. Within its technology categories, battery-electric-vehicle technology added 17,064 jobs, plug-in-hybrid-vehicle technology added 5,743, fuel-cell-electric-vehicle technology added 2,019 and hybrid-vehicle technology added 15,953.
| DOE technology category | Jobs added, 2022–23 | Estimated growth |
|---|---|---|
| Battery-electric vehicles | 17,064 | 12.9% |
| Plug-in-hybrid vehicles | 5,743 | 8.4% |
| Fuel-cell-electric vehicles | 2,019 | 11.5% |
| Hybrid vehicles | 15,953 | 10.5% |
Source: DOE, 2024 United States Energy & Employment Report
DOE USEER technology categories are estimates with definitions that differ from BLS NAICS industries, so they should not be treated as a census of battery-electric assembly plants or added directly to BLS manufacturing payroll counts.