How much does an auto electronics tech make?
a year · about $41 an hour
A typical auto electronics tech in the United States makes $84,890 a year, about $41 an hour, about 1.7× a typical US worker (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What do they do?
This U.S. job is mainly about trains, boats, and other mobile equipment—not car-only electronics. A tech checks wires and sonar or navigation gear with test tools, repairs faults, then tests the system again.
Did you know? Technicians in this job may maintain sonar on boats; sonar uses sound echoes to find things underwater.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowIf 100 people had this job
Most earn between $50,750 and $116,810How do you become one?
After high school, study electronics at a U.S. trade school or community college, then seek an entry job or locomotive-electrician apprenticeship. Employers add hands-on training with experienced workers, often for 1–2 years; certification is optional.
School needed: Vocational school or a few years' experience
Good for people who like building and doing and keeping things organized
Why does pay differ?
In the U.S., experience, extra training or useful certifications, and skill with systems such as sonar or navigation can affect pay. Employer type and location matter too; BLS data show pay differs among industries and states, and full-time hours or emergency evening or weekend call-outs can change total earnings.
Where does it pay most?
Highest in Washington ($122,140), lowest in Connecticut ($58,120).
See every state
Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,750 | $84,890 | $116,810 | about 7,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $122,140 | about 230 |
| Oregon | $104,410 | about 160 |
| Nevada | $102,210 | about 120 |
| Kansas | $99,420 | about 60 |
| Maryland | $98,850 | about 290 |
Official definition: Install, adjust, or maintain mobile electronics communication equipment, including sound, sonar, security, navigation, and surveillance systems on trains, watercraft, or other mobile equipment. Excludes “Avionics Technicians” (49-2091) and “Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles” (49-2096).
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes492093.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/49-2093.00
- www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/electrical-and-electronics-i
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/wage-differences.htm
- oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/sonar
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY