- The middle half earn between $17.40 and $21.53 an hour.
- Only 8 states pay auto detailers more at the median.
- California pays more than 2 of its 3 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 46,030 auto detailers on payrolls in California.
- At the state median wage, a detailing business needs to bill about $102.60 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Auto Detailer pay in California, bottom to top
BLS has no separate figure for auto detailers. These are its numbers for cleaners of vehicles and equipment, the group that holds auto detailers along with car wash attendants and equipment cleaners.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.77 | $34,890 | $13.17 |
| 25th percentile | $17.40 | $36,190 | $14.62 |
| Median | $18.23 | $37,920 | $17.23 |
| 75th percentile | $21.53 | $44,790 | $19.73 |
| 90th percentile | $23.60 | $49,090 | $22.89 |
| Average (mean) | $19.72 | $41,020 | $17.78 |
Pay is bunched up in California. The top tenth earn $23.60 an hour or more, about 1.4 times the $16.77 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 1.7 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $16.77 against $13.17 at the bottom tenth, and $23.60 against $22.89 at the top.
The average wage, $19.72, sits 8% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical auto detailer makes.
How California compares with other states
Over a full year, the California median of $37,920 is $2,090 more than the national $35,830.
In the state ranking, California sits 9th, between Oregon ($18.30) and Minnesota ($18.07). The range runs from $13.27 in Louisiana to $20.53 in the District of Columbia.
Against its neighboring states, California is in the middle: Oregon pays more, and Arizona and Nevada pay less.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in California. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
How many auto detailers work in California
BLS estimates 46,030 auto detailers on payrolls in California, 12.1% of the 380,430 nationwide. No other state has more.
That is 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in California, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a detailing business in California should charge
Higher wages in California go straight into the price. Take a detailing business in California paying the state median of $18.23 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $18.23 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $40,819 |
| Break-even rate | ($40,819 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $87.21 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $87.21 ÷ 0.85 | $102.60 |
That is $102.60 per billable hour, 5.6 times the wage, and $1.76 more than the $100.85 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $21.53 in California, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $108.40.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $17.40, the rate only drops to $101.15.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as an auto detailer in California
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how detailers run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 53-7061, cleaners of vehicles and equipment, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: auto detailer salary by state.