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Tire Repairers and Changers

Also called: Lube Technician (Lube Tech), Service Technician (Service Tech), Tire Installer, Tire Shop Mechanic

Repair and replace tires.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$37,710
Openings a year BLS, 2025–3512,900
Typical education to start BLSHigh school diploma or equivalent
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 Low
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +3.4%

What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 25 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.4% by 2035. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 4.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers”
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.1 hires for every 10 job openings in retail trade, which employs about 82% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 8% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$30k$48knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$35,010$29,760 to $37,0802,240
Alaska$43,330$35,920 to $51,490450
Arizona$38,300$36,520 to $45,8303,160
Arkansas$34,450$30,210 to $37,4401,240
California$39,680$37,500 to $46,45011,620
Colorado$45,380$38,840 to $49,2302,750
Connecticut$35,760$34,840 to $42,200740
Delaware$46,630$43,710 to $47,550230
Florida$34,010$30,910 to $41,0606,960
Georgia$34,700$28,150 to $43,7903,980
Guam$25,060$23,710 to $27,71050
Hawaii$45,760$42,650 to $56,020220
Idaho$37,570$35,980 to $46,1001,070
Illinois$38,420$36,800 to $45,5003,540
Indiana$35,800$33,820 to $40,0002,450
Iowa$38,210$36,430 to $46,360990
Kansas$37,880$34,340 to $44,570930
Kentucky$36,300$30,140 to $41,1801,270
Louisiana$33,900$28,810 to $37,1801,120
Maine$38,910$36,720 to $45,930490
Maryland$44,430$41,450 to $60,600880
Massachusetts$36,770$35,250 to $37,5401,240
Michigan$37,130$35,560 to $44,5504,470
Minnesota$43,750$38,240 to $46,1901,310
Mississippi$34,330$29,200 to $37,5101,040
Missouri$38,920$33,990 to $45,1302,110
Montana$46,360$38,390 to $47,570740
Nebraska$36,590$34,470 to $44,080910
Nevada$39,220$35,970 to $47,680930
New Hampshire$37,850$35,970 to $45,540340
New Jersey$44,440$37,440 to $47,8802,290
New Mexico$31,640$29,380 to $34,9101,190
New York$43,660$38,100 to $46,2801,750
North Carolina$35,140$30,530 to $39,6503,690
North Dakota$38,220$36,310 to $44,550560
Ohio$41,760$36,010 to $46,7703,530
Oklahoma$34,890$30,800 to $39,9201,460
Oregon$47,650$39,090 to $49,7802,260
Pennsylvania$37,840$35,260 to $44,4903,170
Puerto Rico$23,780$21,870 to $37,040260
Rhode Island$46,240$43,260 to $47,300190
South Carolina$35,040$30,980 to $39,5601,920
South Dakota$38,800$36,480 to $46,890360
Tennessee$36,680$32,650 to $41,3602,770
Texas$36,060$33,900 to $39,60014,170
Utah$36,960$34,890 to $44,8401,910
Vermont$44,480$39,740 to $45,570120
Virginia$42,370$33,830 to $48,9802,430
Washington$44,670$39,520 to $47,3502,960
West Virginia$29,880$29,060 to $34,590640
Wisconsin$39,560$37,480 to $45,3201,350
Wyoming$36,370$30,720 to $43,320250

Nationally: $37,710. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on none of its 25 tasks

0 · AI alone could halve the time 0 · AI + software built on it could 25 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
Not much Unbolt and remove wheels from vehicles, using lug wrenches or other hand or power tools. Not published
Not much Identify tire size and ply and inflate tires accordingly. Not published
Not much Raise vehicles, using hydraulic jacks. Not published
Not much Reassemble tires onto wheels. Not published
Not much Place wheels on balancing machines to determine counterweights required to balance wheels. Not published
Not much Remount wheels onto vehicles. Not published
See all 25 tasks
Not much Seal punctures in tubeless tires by inserting adhesive material and expanding rubber plugs into punctures, using hand tools. Not published
Not much Replace valve stems and remove puncturing objects. Not published
Not much Locate punctures in tubeless tires by visual inspection or by immersing inflated tires in water baths and observing air bubbles. Not published
Not much Rotate tires to different positions on vehicles, using hand tools. Not published
Not much Hammer required counterweights onto rims of wheels. Not published
Not much Glue tire patches over ruptures in tire casings, using rubber cement. Not published
Not much Clean and tidy up the shop. Not published
Not much Inspect tire casings for defects, such as holes or tears. Not published
Not much Separate tubed tires from wheels, using rubber mallets and metal bars or mechanical tire changers. Not published
Not much Buff defective areas of inner tubes, using scrapers. Not published
Not much Patch tubes with adhesive rubber patches or seal rubber patches to tubes, using hot vulcanizing plates. Not published
Not much Inflate inner tubes and immerse them in water to locate leaks. Not published
Not much Apply rubber cement to buffed tire casings prior to vulcanization process. Not published
Not much Prepare rims and wheel drums for reassembly by scraping, grinding, or sandblasting. Not published
Not much Assist mechanics and perform various mechanical duties, such as changing oil or checking and replacing batteries. Not published
Not much Clean sides of whitewall tires. Not published
Not much Drive automobile or service trucks to industrial sites to provide services or respond to emergency calls. Not published
Not much Order replacements for tires or tubes. Not published
Not much Place tire casings and tread rubber assemblies in tire molds for the vulcanization process and exert pressure to ensure good adhesion. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 25 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 25 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up0 of 25 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most1 of 14 activities
  • #36 Purchase goods or services
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Repair vehicle components 0.87#243 0.09#271
Assemble equipment or components 2.35#187 0.43#218
Inspect vehicles 0.67#260 0.11#267
Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas 3.36#158 1.16#157
Disassemble equipment 2.48#182 0.82#170
Maintain vehicles in working condition 1.80#206 0.37#223
Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment 1.07#231 0.35#228
Purchase goods or services 47#36 0.39#220
Show all 14 activities
Test performance of equipment or systems 9.09#97 2.28#123
Position tools or equipment 3.37#157 0.78#176
Assemble products or work aids 2.37#184 0.33#230
Operate transportation equipment or vehicles 1.06#232 0.05#282
Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing 0.15#308 0.01#322
Operate lifting or moving equipment 0.09#318 0.02#311
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for tire repairers and changers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Tire repairers and changers: +3.4%Tire Repairers and ChangersAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Tire repairers and changers: +3.4%Tire Repairers and Changers

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 6,972 moves out

  1. 1 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Moderate +5.0% 6%
  2. 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
  3. 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
  4. 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
  5. 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%

Where people moved in from

of 3,796 moves in

  1. 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 7%
  2. 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
  3. 3 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Moderate +5.0% 5%
  4. 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
  5. 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 23% less than high school
  • 44% high school
  • 20% some college
  • 5% associate's
  • 6% bachelor's
  • 1% master's

Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers” · 1,128 people surveyed.

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers”

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

82.2% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a license<0.5%19.1%
an educational certificate<0.5%2.8%
a certificationnot published

Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS

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