Contents
- Automotive retail employment statistics: monthly payroll employment across motor vehicle and parts dealers
- Automotive retail employment statistics by dealer type: automobile and other motor vehicle dealers
- Automotive retail employment statistics for parts, accessories, and tire retailers
- Automotive retail employment statistics by occupation: sales, service, and support jobs
- Automotive retail employment statistics: wages for common dealership and parts retail occupations
- Sources
Automotive retail employment statistics: monthly payroll employment across motor vehicle and parts dealers
The broadest measure here is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) nonfarm payroll series for motor vehicle and parts dealers, industry NAICS 441. It covers automobile dealers, other motor vehicle dealers, and automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers. The January 2025 estimate was 2,049.4 thousand employees; the December 2025 estimate was 2,055.1 thousand. Both are not seasonally adjusted U.S. payroll employment levels, reported in thousands. These are two points in the year, not a month-by-month account of hiring or a measure of people seeking work. BLS CES Table B-1b
| Reference month | Motor vehicle and parts dealers employees (thousands) |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 2,049.4 |
| December 2025 | 2,055.1 |
The same industry series also reports production and nonsupervisory employees. In January 2025, that group numbered 1,729.6 thousand. The label identifies a worker category within private nonfarm payroll employment; it does not mean that everyone counted performs vehicle manufacturing. The industry is retail dealers and parts stores, and the figure is an employment level in thousands, not a count of establishments or a share of all workers. BLS CES Table B-6b
Monthly payroll counts answer a different question from occupational estimates. CES assigns jobs to industries and reports monthly payroll levels; it does not sort this industry total into service, sales, and office roles. The occupational figures later in this article come from separate BLS estimates with different reference dates. Reading those series together is useful for describing both the industry and selected roles, provided the periods and populations stay attached to each number. BLS CES Table B-1b BLS CES Table B-6b
Automotive retail employment statistics by dealer type: automobile and other motor vehicle dealers
The January 2025 CES breakdown shows automobile dealers as the largest listed dealer category, with 1,297.0 thousand employees. That parent category includes new car dealers, at 1,132.1 thousand, and used car dealers, at 164.9 thousand. The figures preserve the BLS industry hierarchy: the new and used categories sit within automobile dealers, so they should not be added to the parent as if they were additional workers. All are U.S. nonfarm payroll estimates, not seasonally adjusted, in thousands. BLS CES Table B-1b
| Dealer category, January 2025 | Employees (thousands) |
|---|---|
| Automobile dealers | 1,297.0 |
| New car dealers | 1,132.1 |
| Used car dealers | 164.9 |
Other motor vehicle dealers had 157.9 thousand employees in January 2025. Within that category, recreational vehicle dealers accounted for 53.7 thousand, while motorcycle, boat, and other motor vehicle dealers had 104.2 thousand. These labels indicate distinct industry classifications, rather than job functions: a salesperson at an RV dealer, for example, is included in the industry count for the dealer type, while occupational data classify workers by occupation. BLS CES Table B-1b
The dealer-type numbers give context to the overall NAICS 441 level, but the data shown do not establish why one category has a particular workforce size or how many workers changed jobs between categories. They are employment levels for one reference month. The distinction matters because an industry classification reflects the establishment’s business, while an occupation classification reflects the kind of work performed. BLS CES Table B-1b
Automotive retail employment statistics for parts, accessories, and tire retailers
Automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers (NAICS 4413) employed 594.5 thousand people in January 2025, according to the not seasonally adjusted CES estimate. The industry-level total includes automotive parts and accessories retailers and tire dealers. The more specific rows report 400.8 thousand employees at automotive parts and accessories retailers and 193.7 thousand at tire dealers. Each figure is a payroll employment level in thousands for the same month. BLS CES Table B-1b
| Parts retail category, January 2025 | Employees (thousands) |
|---|---|
| Automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers | 594.5 |
| Automotive parts and accessories retailers | 400.8 |
| Tire dealers | 193.7 |
The parts and accessories category is broader than a single counter-sales job: it describes the employer’s industry. Later occupational estimates show parts salespersons, retail salespersons, mechanics, drivers, and other roles working in this industry. Those occupational counts come from May 2024 and should not be read as a breakdown of the January 2025 CES total. The distinction also means that an occupation can appear in several industry types; mechanics are not exclusive to automobile dealerships. BLS CES Table B-1b BLS OEWS Chart, May 2024
Automotive retail employment statistics by occupation: sales, service, and support jobs
Occupation counts help describe the mix of work inside the industry, but the available BLS tables are selected lists, not a full inventory of every role. For motor vehicle and parts dealers (NAICS 441), the 2025 annual occupational employment estimates report 316,910 automotive service technicians and mechanics, 195,190 parts salespersons, and 309,010 retail salespersons. They also report 82,770 cleaners of vehicles and equipment and 81,470 first-line supervisors or managers of retail sales workers. These are U.S. jobs by occupation in the NAICS 441 industry, not monthly CES employee counts. BLS Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers: NAICS 441
For automobile dealers specifically, the BLS May 2024 industry chart lists 259,640 automotive service technicians and mechanics and 228,660 retail salespersons. Other prominent occupations shown include 75,310 cleaners of vehicles and equipment, 59,750 parts salespersons, 51,690 counter and rental clerks, and 42,440 customer service representatives. The chart reports selected largest occupations in automobile dealers, with employment estimates for May 2024. BLS OEWS Chart, May 2024
Management and office roles are also among the selected occupations for automobile dealers. The May 2024 table lists 39,690 first-line supervisors of retail sales workers, 35,150 sales managers, 33,910 general and operations managers, and 32,230 general office clerks. These figures show the breadth of roles in the dealer industry classification. They do not indicate that each dealership has these roles in the same proportions or that the listed occupations account for all employment. BLS OEWS Chart, May 2024
| Selected occupation | Automobile dealers, May 2024 employment |
|---|---|
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics | 259,640 |
| Retail salespersons | 228,660 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment | 75,310 |
| Parts salespersons | 59,750 |
| Counter and rental clerks | 51,690 |
| Customer service representatives | 42,440 |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | 39,690 |
| Sales managers | 35,150 |
| General and operations managers | 33,910 |
| General office clerks | 32,230 |
The May 2024 chart for automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers presents a different mix. It reports 117,730 parts salespersons, 74,340 tire repairers and changers, and 71,430 light truck drivers. Other listed occupations include 56,550 retail salespersons, 46,870 automotive service technicians and mechanics, 39,130 first-line supervisors of retail sales workers, and 25,860 general and operations managers. The table also includes 15,880 first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers; 13,770 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers; and 11,200 hand laborers and freight, stock, and material movers. BLS OEWS Chart, May 2024
Other motor vehicle dealers show additional occupational variety in the same May 2024 source. The selected occupations include 29,730 retail salespersons, 12,850 recreational vehicle service technicians, 11,570 motorcycle mechanics, and 11,260 parts salespersons. The list also includes 9,620 general and operations managers, 8,570 motorboat mechanics and service technicians, 6,890 cleaners of vehicles and equipment, 6,130 first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers, 6,110 first-line supervisors of retail sales workers, and 5,420 general office clerks. These estimates are for other motor vehicle dealers, not all NAICS 441 businesses. BLS OEWS Chart, May 2024
Taken together, the occupation tables show why a single phrase such as “dealership jobs” spans customer-facing sales, parts, repair, cleaning, supervision, management, office, and delivery work. They do not provide a direct comparison of every role across every dealer type: each chart is a selected list, and only occupations included in the displayed lists are available here. The annual 2025 NAICS 441 estimates and May 2024 industry-chart estimates also refer to different periods, so their counts should be kept in separate frames. BLS Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers: NAICS 441 BLS OEWS Chart, May 2024
Automotive retail employment statistics: wages for common dealership and parts retail occupations
For 2025, the BLS industry page reports annual median wage estimates for four common occupations in motor vehicle and parts dealers (NAICS 441). Automotive service technicians and mechanics had an annual median of $58,140. The annual median for retail salespersons was $41,250, and for parts salespersons it was $36,690. First-line supervisors or managers of retail sales workers had an annual median of $61,430. These amounts are occupation-specific median wage estimates for the industry; they are not averages and do not describe the pay of every worker in a role. BLS Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers: NAICS 441
| Occupation in motor vehicle and parts dealers | 2025 annual median wage |
|---|---|
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers | $61,430 |
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics | $58,140 |
| Retail salespersons | $41,250 |
| Parts salespersons | $36,690 |
The wage figures and employment estimates provide two distinct views of automotive retail work: how many jobs are estimated in selected occupations and the median annual wage attached to certain occupations within NAICS 441. The occupational wage table covers the broad industry rather than a single dealer subtype, so it should not be presented as a separate wage figure for new-car dealers, used-car dealers, or parts retailers. The source does not establish why wages differ across occupations, and the medians alone do not describe schedules, benefits, commissions, or individual earnings. BLS Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers: NAICS 441