The average auto glass installer in the United States earns $50,430 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $47,630. That works out at about $24.25 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: New Jersey averages $65,260 and New Mexico $35,690. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a auto glass installer actually does for that money
Automotive glass installers and repairers is a small, cleanly counted occupation, and it is in the middle of the biggest change in its history. A windshield with a forward-facing camera behind it is now a calibration job as well as a glass job, and shops that can do both are pulling away.
What auto glass installers earn, from bottom to top
An average hides the spread, and the spread is what matters when you are deciding whether to enter the trade or what to pay someone. Here is the full range BLS publishes.
| Percentile | Annual | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $35,390 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $40,110 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $47,630 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $59,550 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $70,650 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Auto Glass salary by state
New Jersey pays the most at $65,260 a year, and New Mexico the least at $35,690. Cost of living explains part of that gap and licensing rules explain a good deal of the rest.
| # | State | Average annual | Median annual | Hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $65,260 | $61,040 | $31.38 | n/a |
| 2 | Connecticut | $63,640 | $63,880 | $30.60 | 80 |
| 3 | Washington | $60,840 | $60,630 | $29.25 | 770 |
| 4 | North Carolina | $58,020 | $60,710 | $27.90 | 790 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $57,520 | $56,280 | $27.66 | 40 |
| 6 | Hawaii | $57,020 | $49,410 | $27.41 | 50 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $56,560 | $58,490 | $27.19 | 140 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $55,600 | $52,000 | $26.73 | 70 |
| 9 | New York | $54,740 | $50,240 | $26.32 | 660 |
| 10 | Alaska | $53,910 | $52,260 | $25.92 | 40 |
| 11 | Illinois | $53,420 | $48,860 | $25.68 | 510 |
| 12 | Colorado | $53,270 | $48,610 | $25.61 | 890 |
| 13 | Ohio | $52,810 | $50,090 | $25.39 | 860 |
| 14 | Oregon | $52,690 | $57,270 | $25.33 | 280 |
| 15 | Florida | $52,200 | $48,800 | $25.10 | 2,030 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $51,460 | $48,350 | $24.74 | 510 |
| 17 | Maine | $51,180 | $47,270 | $24.61 | 60 |
| 18 | California | $50,900 | $47,710 | $24.47 | 2,200 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $50,860 | $47,800 | $24.45 | 480 |
| 20 | Arizona | $50,810 | $45,670 | $24.43 | 730 |
| 21 | Montana | $50,440 | $47,090 | $24.25 | 150 |
| 22 | Maryland | $49,310 | $47,350 | $23.71 | 380 |
| 23 | Utah | $49,290 | $49,310 | $23.70 | 270 |
| 24 | Nevada | $49,260 | $47,210 | $23.68 | 190 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $49,040 | $47,060 | $23.58 | 210 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $48,830 | $45,970 | $23.48 | 70 |
| 27 | Michigan | $48,760 | $46,860 | $23.44 | 580 |
| 28 | Indiana | $48,710 | $46,850 | $23.42 | 320 |
| 29 | Idaho | $48,580 | $48,530 | $23.36 | 110 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $48,500 | $48,790 | $23.32 | 300 |
| 31 | Missouri | $48,040 | $47,060 | $23.10 | 580 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $47,770 | $45,980 | $22.97 | 180 |
| 33 | Virginia | $47,410 | $47,730 | $22.80 | 650 |
| 34 | Alabama | $47,250 | $46,340 | $22.72 | 380 |
| 35 | Texas | $46,940 | $46,550 | $22.57 | 2,220 |
| 36 | Kansas | $46,520 | $39,900 | $22.37 | 60 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $45,750 | $45,180 | $22.00 | 190 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $45,640 | $46,630 | $21.94 | 70 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $45,570 | $38,420 | $21.91 | 270 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $44,930 | $46,180 | $21.60 | 440 |
| 41 | Iowa | $43,930 | $45,520 | $21.12 | 110 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $42,530 | $41,620 | $20.45 | 370 |
| 43 | Georgia | $40,070 | $36,430 | $19.26 | 520 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $39,850 | $41,350 | $19.16 | 150 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $35,690 | $37,470 | $17.16 | 150 |
Where the money is: highest paying metros
State averages flatten out the difference between a city and the rural county next to it. These are the metro areas paying auto glass installers the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $64,980 | $31.24 |
| 2 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $59,520 | $28.62 |
| 3 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $58,960 | $28.35 |
| 4 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $58,850 | $28.29 |
| 5 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $57,820 | $27.80 |
| 6 | Fayetteville, NC | $57,580 | $27.68 |
| 7 | Bellingham, WA | $57,400 | $27.60 |
| 8 | Boulder, CO | $57,040 | $27.42 |
| 9 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $56,920 | $27.37 |
| 10 | Yakima, WA | $56,480 | $27.15 |
What moves the number
- Not licensed in most states, but AGSC certification matters because a windshield is now a structural and ADAS-calibrated component rather than a piece of glass.
- Steady, with spikes after hail and gravel season. Mobile techs cover more jobs a day than shop-based ones and are usually paid accordingly.
- ADAS recalibration is the growth area and the one that pays, because a shop that cannot recalibrate has to sublet the job.
- The bottom ten percent of auto glass installers earn under $35,390 and the top ten percent clear $70,650. That gap is the trade telling you where the money is.
- Working for somebody else and working for yourself are different questions. These figures cover employed auto glass installers on a payroll, so they exclude the self-employed, and in this trade a large share of the best operators are exactly that.
What you can earn running the business instead
The number above is a wage. Running the business is a different calculation: you take the full ticket rather than an hourly rate, and what you keep depends on how many jobs you fit in a week, how quickly you get paid and how much of your day goes on scheduling, estimates and chasing invoices instead of on the work. That is the part software actually changes. Owners who put scheduling, estimating, invoicing and automated follow-up in one place tend to run more jobs with the same crew, which is where the gap between a auto glass installer wage and an owner income opens up.
Auto Glass salary FAQs
- How much do auto glass installers make a year?
- The median auto glass installer in the United States earns $47,630 a year and the average is $50,430, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do auto glass installers make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $24.25. Annual earnings are usually higher than that rate multiplied by a standard year, because overtime, call-outs and premium work are not in the base rate.
- Which state pays auto glass installers the most?
- New Jersey pays the most at an average of $65,260 a year, followed by Connecticut at $63,640 and Washington at $60,840. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay auto glass installers the most?
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA tops the list at an average of $64,980 a year, with Providence-Warwick, RI-MA at $59,520. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can auto glass installers earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $70,650. Owners are a different question, because they are paid on the job rather than on the hour, and owner income is not in these figures.
- Do these figures include self-employed auto glass installers?
- No. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program covers wage and salary workers, so sole proprietors and business owners are excluded. In a trade with as many owner-operators as this one, that matters when you read the number.
- Where does this auto glass salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers" (SOC 49-3022). It is a survey of employers rather than of workers, which is why it is more reliable than self-reported salary sites.
All wage figures on this page are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. BLS suppresses figures in areas with too few employers to publish safely; those appear as n/a rather than an estimate.
