🏆 2026 Market Rankings

Highest Paying States for Motorcycle Mechanic (2026)

This page looks at highest paying states for Motorcycle Mechanic through Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest official BLS wage baseline. It shows which states lead on pay, how big the gap is after the top spot, and where job opportunities are most concentrated.

In practice, North Dakota currently leads at $65,123.0/year, while California gives you a useful second benchmark at $64,225.0. That makes it easier to judge whether the leader is far ahead or part of a tighter upper tier.

📅 Updated April 2026📊 Modeled salary benchmarks🇺🇸 Motorcycle Mechanic · 12 markets ranked⏱ 12 min read
1
North Dakota
$65.1K est.
2
California
$64.2K est.
3
New Jersey
$60.0K est.
4
South Carolina
$59.1K est.
5
Massachusetts
$57.6K est.
#1 State
North Dakota
$65.1K
Markets Ranked
12
top markets
Data Layer
State
Careerclev salary model
Top Employment
160
employment estimate
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Highest Paying States for Motorcycle Mechanic: Full Ranking

If you're comparing the best states for motorcycle mechanic, North Dakota sits at the top of this 12-market ranking at $65,123.0 per year in Careerclev's current salary model. From there, the second spot belongs to California at $64,225.0, which helps show whether the pay curve drops quickly or stays fairly tight after the leader. On entry-level pages, Careerclev uses lower wage percentiles as a transparent proxy for starting pay, because the public source data does not offer a clean entry-level field for every role.

1
North Dakota
160 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
100% benchmark
$65,123.0
official baseline $65.1K
2
California
1,540 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$64,225.0
official baseline $64.2K
3
New Jersey
270 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$59,996.0
official baseline $60.0K
4
South Carolina
90 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$59,054.0
official baseline $59.1K
5
Massachusetts
N/A employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$57,618.0
official baseline $57.6K
6
New Hampshire
100 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$57,060.0
official baseline $57.1K
7
Maryland
50 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$56,632.0
official baseline $56.6K
8
Nevada
110 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$56,052.0
official baseline $56.1K
9
Oregon
290 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$55,854.0
official baseline $55.9K
10
Wisconsin
340 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$55,077.0
official baseline $55.1K
11
Wyoming
70 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$54,803.0
official baseline $54.8K
12
Minnesota
380 employed · state market
High payData year 2024Varies
vs #1
$54,529.0
official baseline $54.5K

What Motorcycle Mechanic Do

Before the pay ranking means much, it helps to understand the work itself. Motorcycle Mechanic salary markets are easier to compare when the underlying role is clear.

This role combines strong pay potential with a specific preparation path and day-to-day work profile.

Motorcycle Mechanic Salary Trend

This market ranking is local, but the longer pay direction behind motorcycle mechanic is easier to read from the national salary trend. That helps show whether the role is sitting on a stable long-run wage climb or just posting a short-term local spike.

Careerclev's current 2026 estimate applies an annual modeled growth rate of 1.5% from the last confirmed BLS benchmark year, using wage history and employment outlook where available.

2026·$47.2KEstimated
$38.0K
2020
$38.2K
2021
$43.4K
2022
$46.3K
2023
$45.9K
2024
$46.5K
2025*
$47.2K
2026*
Official Data
May 2024 BLS
20202026 trend (est.)
24.3%
Forecast method
Trend + outlook model

* 2024–2026 values are modeled estimates extending from the last confirmed BLS benchmark. The last confirmed BLS figure ($45.9K, 2024) is extended with recent wage trend history, employment outlook, and tech-market signals where available, then replaced when official data is published.

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Entry-Level Pay Signals

A high median salary only tells half the story. What matters for career planning is where starting pay actually lands. Because BLS does not publish a clean entry-level label for every role, Careerclev uses lower wage percentiles as a transparent proxy. Massachusetts shows an estimated early-career pay signal of $57,618.0, compared with a long-run median of $57,618.0. In turn, that gap gives a better feel for both long-run upside and how quickly a role starts rewarding experience.

JobEntry ProxyMedian SalaryPrep PathTypical Education
North Dakota$51,549.0$65,123.0VariesEducation path varies by employer
California$50,343.0$64,225.0VariesEducation path varies by employer
New Jersey$50,376.0$59,996.0VariesEducation path varies by employer
South Carolina$51,319.0$59,054.0VariesEducation path varies by employer
Massachusetts$57,618.0$57,618.0VariesEducation path varies by employer
New Hampshire$50,705.0$57,060.0VariesEducation path varies by employer
Maryland$52,075.0$56,632.0VariesEducation path varies by employer
Nevada$51,866.0$56,052.0VariesEducation path varies by employer

Jobs With Strong Demand

Pay ceilings matter more when the local labor market is deep enough to generate real openings. In Motorcycle Mechanic, California combines a salary of $64,225.0 with roughly 1,540 employed workers, which makes it one of the more accessible high-pay options on this list. By contrast, some specialties rank higher on salary but operate as narrower niches where openings are harder to find and entry paths are longer.

Very Deep Market
California
$64,225.0
1,540 employed
Training path varies in a varies pathway.
Very Deep Market
Minnesota
$54,529.0
380 employed
Training path varies in a varies pathway.
Strong Market
Wisconsin
$55,077.0
340 employed
Training path varies in a varies pathway.
Strong Market
Oregon
$55,854.0
290 employed
Training path varies in a varies pathway.
Strong Market
New Jersey
$59,996.0
270 employed
Training path varies in a varies pathway.
Strong Market
North Dakota
$65,123.0
160 employed
Training path varies in a varies pathway.

Salary vs Employment

The highest-paying job is not always the largest market, and that distinction changes the practical calculus. North Dakota leads on salary at $65,123.0, while California supports roughly 1,540 workers locally, a useful sanity check before committing to a long training path for a role with limited local openings.

North DakotaSOC 49-3052
$65.1K
160
CaliforniaSOC 49-3052
$64.2K
1,540
New JerseySOC 49-3052
$60.0K
270
South CarolinaSOC 49-3052
$59.1K
90
MassachusettsSOC 49-3052
$57.6K
N/A
New HampshireSOC 49-3052
$57.1K
100
MarylandSOC 49-3052
$56.6K
50
NevadaSOC 49-3052
$56.1K
110

How to Choose a High-Paying Job Strategically

Salary rankings are a starting point, not a decision. In Motorcycle Mechanic, the gap between North Dakota at $65,123.0 and the early-pay signal from Massachusetts at $57,618.0 shows why access, market size, and training timelines belong in the same conversation as the headline number. That is where this page becomes more useful than a simple ranking list.

1
Match salary to access realistically
A high median means little if there are only a handful of openings per year. Check the employment estimate alongside the salary. A role with 1,540 workers in Motorcycle Mechanic is fundamentally easier to enter than one with a few hundred.
2
Factor in education and licensure timelines
Some of the highest-paying roles on this list sit in prep bands such as Varies and often pair that with expectations like education path varies by employer. Build that timeline into your planning before targeting the salary ceiling.
3
Separate entry pay from long-run upside
The entry proxy column in this guide gives you an early-career anchor. A role that starts at $57,618.0 and scales to $57,618.0 offers a very different career arc than one that starts and peaks near the same figure.
4
Check the work before chasing the pay
Compare the day-to-day work with the training path before you commit. A role can rank highly on pay and still be a poor fit if the work itself does not match the kind of problems, environment, or responsibilities you want.
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Next Pages to Read

High-pay rankings are most useful when you read them alongside the core salary guide, the career entry path, and a few nearby role comparisons. That turns this page from a ranking into a better decision route for motorcycle mechanic.

FAQs

These questions cover the practical parts of the ranking: how entry pay is estimated, why wage fields sometimes differ by source, and how to compare the top salary with the real size of the job market.

Which state pays the most for Motorcycle Mechanic?
North Dakota currently leads this motorcycle mechanic ranking at $65,123.0 per year in Careerclev's current salary model, built from the latest available BLS OEWS wage baseline.
Is the entry-level pay data directly from BLS?
Not exactly. BLS publishes wage percentiles rather than experience-level labels, so Careerclev uses the 25th percentile (or the low-end wage where available) as an entry-pay proxy. It is a transparent approximation, not a direct label.
Which state pays the most for Motorcycle Mechanic?
North Dakota currently leads this motorcycle mechanic pay ranking at $65,123.0 per year, with an employment estimate of 160. Use the salary gap and employment depth together when comparing the strongest markets.
What kind of preparation does Motorcycle Mechanic usually require?
Motorcycle Mechanic is currently tagged as varies in the O*NET prep model. The most common education signal is education path varies by employer, while the training path is described as training path varies.
Does the top-paying market also have the deepest employment base?
Not always. California may support a deeper employment base than the #1 salary market, which can make them more practical despite a lower pay ceiling.
How should I compare salary with accessibility?
Use the ranking salary, entry-pay proxy, employment estimate, and preparation path together. The best target is usually the role that balances strong pay with a realistic path in.
Can a lower-ranked job be a better target than North Dakota?
Yes. A lower-ranked role can be the better choice if it has a shorter prep path, stronger entry pay, more openings, or a work profile that fits you better than North Dakota.
Why do some high-paying roles look hard to enter?
Many top-paying roles sit behind longer training, licensing, or related-experience requirements. That is why Careerclev shows preparation signals next to salary instead of treating all high-paying jobs as equally accessible.
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Data Sources & MethodologyRankings use Careerclev salary facts built from BLS OEWS wage data and extended through Careerclev's current salary projection model where applicable. National pages use U.S. aggregate data, state pages use state-level data, and city pages use the BLS metro dataset behind the largest-city public label. Category labels are derived from BLS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) major group codes, while prep-path notes come from imported O*NET job-zone and career requirement data where available.
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