Automotive Service Technicians vs Licensed Practical
Licensed Practical earns $12,670 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Automotive Service Technicians | Licensed Practical | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2024 | $49,670 | $62,340 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $33,660 to $80,850 | $47,960 to $80,510 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 1 | 1 |
| Typical entry education | Postsecondary nondegree award | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Jobs opening up each year | 70,000 | 54,400 |
| Growth by 2034 | 4% | 3% |
| People doing it now | 805,600 | 651,400 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $71,030 in Washington DC down to $36,320 in West Virginia | $79,700 in Washington down to $48,850 in Mississippi |
Also compared: Automotive Service Technicians vs Insurance Sales Agents Automotive Service Technicians vs Medical Assistants Insurance Sales Agents vs Licensed Practical Licensed Practical vs Medical Assistants
Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Automotive Service Technicians
- Rail Car Repairers
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
- Motorcycle Mechanics
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
- Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
Licensed Practical
- Registered Nurses
- Paramedics
- Nurse Practitioners
- Acute Care Nurses
- Nursing Assistants
- Critical Care Nurses
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Jobs that take more training than this one
A job zone is the U.S. Department of Labor’s published measure of how much preparation a job takes. It says nothing about pay.
- Registered NursesUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience. +$31,260 a year more at the middle.
- Nurse PractitionersGraduate school — a master's, or a doctorate. +$66,870 a year more at the middle.
- Acute Care NursesUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
- Critical Care NursesUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
- Clinical Nurse SpecialistsGraduate school — a master's, or a doctorate.
O*NET 30.3 Database and O*NET Job Zones, U.S. Department of Labor. A job zone is a published measure of how much preparation an occupation takes, not a measure of pay or of whether a job is better. Pay differences are BLS median annual wages, May 2024, and are shown only where both jobs are on this site.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2024, and employment projections 2024-34. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.