Classic-car restoration is not counted as a standalone occupation in public labor statistics. The most useful picture combines SEMA estimates and surveys about classic vehicles with Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) benchmarks for restoration-adjacent mechanical, body, paint, frame, and glass work. The figures below identify their geography and measurement period so readers can distinguish market demand from employment counts.
Table of contents
- Market size and work demand
- National technician employment outlook
- Pay benchmarks for mechanical work
- Body, frame, paint, and glass trades
- Where related jobs are concentrated
- How owners create restoration labor demand
Market size and work demand
SEMA’s Future Trends: January 2023 estimated that about 12 million U.S. vehicles from model year 1990 or earlier were on the road in its cited 2021 market estimate. About 1.8 million of those pre-1990 classics were modified or accessorized in 2021. Retail specialty-equipment parts sales tied to those modified or accessorized vehicles were approximately $2.36 billion in 2021. These are market and vehicle estimates, not counts of restoration employees. (SEMA Future Trends: January 2023)
SEMA’s 2020 Classic Cars, Modern Markets research also shows that restoration work sits alongside restomod, custom, and driver-focused projects. Across the surveyed classic-owner population, 29% described their vehicle goal as restoration, 26% as a restomod, 7% as a custom or hot rod, and 37% as simply keeping the classic driving as a driver vehicle. The categories describe owner goals in a 2020 survey; they are not job shares. (Classic Cars, Modern Markets)
The same survey found a difference by vehicle age. Among owners working on a pre-1974 vehicle, 40% were pursuing pure restoration. Among owners working on a 1985–1989 vehicle, 55% said they just wanted a driver vehicle. That contrast matters for employment: older cars may generate more authenticity-focused repair and restoration work, while later classics can generate more maintenance and drivability work.
Restomodding was a substantial adjacent demand signal. In a 2020 survey of specialty-equipment businesses, 62% said restomodding was becoming more important. Those businesses said, on average, that 50% of their classic-vehicle work was part of a restomod job. Among classic owners under 45, 38% said they were going for a restomod build, compared with 22% among older classic owners. (Classic Cars, Modern Markets Report Now Available)
National technician employment outlook
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook counted about 825,800 U.S. automotive service technician and mechanic jobs in 2025. The occupation is broader than classic restoration, but it is a practical national benchmark for engine, drivetrain, electrical, brake, suspension, and diagnostic work that can appear in a British-car restoration project. (Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics: Occupational Outlook Handbook)
The BLS projected 5% employment growth for automotive service technicians and mechanics from 2025 to 2035. That forecast represents an addition of 40,900 jobs over the period, with about 66,200 openings projected each year on average. Annual openings include opportunities created by growth and by workers leaving the occupation, so they should not be read as 66,200 new restoration positions.
For body and glass work, BLS counted 193,000 U.S. automotive body and glass repairer jobs in 2024. Employment in that occupation was projected to grow 2% from 2024 to 2034, with about 16,000 openings each year on average. These figures cover general automotive body and glass repair, not a separately measured classic-car restoration workforce. (Automotive Body and Glass Repairers: Occupational Outlook Handbook)
The BLS projection also provides component detail. Automotive body and related repairers were projected to rise from 172,600 jobs in 2024 to 175,400 in 2034. Automotive glass installers and repairers were projected to rise from 20,400 to 21,100 over the same period. For a restoration shop, those categories indicate the scale of adjacent skills rather than the number of classic-focused openings.
| Restoration-adjacent benchmark | Employment measure | Pay or forecast measure | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics | 825,800 jobs | 5% growth; 40,900 added jobs | 2025; 2025–2035 forecast |
| Automotive body and glass repairers | 193,000 jobs | 2% growth; 16,000 openings annually | 2024; 2024–2034 forecast |
| Automotive body and related repairers | 172,600 jobs | 175,400 projected jobs | 2024–2034 forecast |
| Automotive glass installers and repairers | 20,400 jobs | 21,100 projected jobs | 2024–2034 forecast |
Pay benchmarks for mechanical work
The BLS May 2023 national OEWS estimate counted 676,570 automotive service technicians and mechanics. Their mean hourly wage was $24.97 and their mean annual wage was $51,940. The median annual wage was $47,770, while the 90th-percentile annual wage was $77,630. These are national occupational wage benchmarks, not quoted rates for classic British-car specialists. (Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics)
The later BLS outlook provides a different reference point: the median annual pay for automotive service technicians and mechanics was $50,620 in May 2025. In that same month, the lowest-paid 10% earned less than $34,660 annually, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $81,790. The 2023 OEWS and May 2025 outlook figures should be treated as separate published measures and dates rather than combined into one time series.
Industry employment in the May 2023 OEWS estimate shows where mechanical skills are used. Automobile dealers employed 250,180 automotive service technicians and mechanics. Automotive repair and maintenance employed 236,770, while automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers employed 50,230. A restoration technician may work in a specialist shop, a general repair business, a dealership, or a parts-related setting, but the dataset does not identify which jobs involve classic vehicles.
For readers evaluating a restoration career, the wage distribution is more informative than a single average. The $47,770 median from May 2023 places half of the counted occupation above and half below that point; the $77,630 90th percentile shows a much higher-paid upper segment. The May 2025 BLS figures similarly place the middle at $50,620 and the upper 10% above $81,790. Neither source attributes the difference to restoration specialization, location, certification, experience, or employer type.
Body, frame, paint, and glass trades
The May 2023 national OEWS estimate counted 151,910 automotive body and related repairers. Their mean hourly wage was $26.55, with a mean annual wage of $55,220. The median annual wage was $48,740, and the 90th-percentile annual wage was $80,380. These benchmarks are relevant to rust repair, panel shaping, frame correction, paint preparation, and related work, but they include ordinary collision and body repair as well as any restoration activity. (Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Automotive Body and Related Repairers)
Automotive repair and maintenance employed 111,200 automotive body and related repairers in May 2023. Automobile dealers employed 24,540, and motor vehicle manufacturing employed 3,750. The concentration in repair and maintenance is especially relevant to restoration-adjacent employment because independent shops and service businesses are included in that industry category, while the figure still does not isolate classic-car work.
Comparing the two May 2023 OEWS occupations gives a useful skills benchmark:
| Occupation | Jobs | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage | Median annual wage | 90th-percentile annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive service technicians and mechanics | 676,570 | $24.97 | $51,940 | $47,770 | $77,630 |
| Automotive body and related repairers | 151,910 | $26.55 | $55,220 | $48,740 | $80,380 |
The body-and-related-repair benchmark has a higher reported mean hourly and annual wage than the mechanical benchmark in this particular May 2023 estimate. The medians are closer, and both 90th-percentile figures are substantially above their respective medians. Because the occupations cover different work, the table is a comparison of labor-market benchmarks rather than a claim that one restoration specialty pays more in every shop.
Where related jobs are concentrated
The BLS May 2024 state employment chart reported 67,060 automotive service technicians and mechanics in Texas, 62,110 in California, 46,090 in Florida, 31,790 in New York, and 29,020 in Pennsylvania. These are state employment counts for the broad occupation, not classic-restoration job counts. (OEWS Chart: States with the highest employment level by occupation, May 2024)
For automotive body and related repairers, the same May 2024 chart reported 14,670 jobs in California, 12,980 in Texas, 10,560 in Florida, 8,080 in New York, and 6,850 in Tennessee. The state lists differ from the mechanical occupation’s list, which illustrates why location analysis should match the skill being measured.
These counts can help a prospective technician understand where the broader employment base is largest, but they do not establish that a state has the most British-car restorers. A classic-focused search would still need local information about marque specialists, restoration shops, collector-car density, and customer demand; those measures are not supplied by the BLS occupation chart.
How owners create restoration labor demand
SEMA’s 2020 classic-owner survey found that 80% said they could do at least some work on their vehicle themselves. Among enthusiast classic owners, 45% were comfortable tackling more complex work themselves, compared with 13% among non-enthusiast classic owners. The figures suggest that owner skill can shift work between a professional shop and a home garage, but they do not measure hours, spending, or employment. (Classic Cars, Modern Markets)
Among owners who worked on their own vehicle, 48% did so at least monthly. The frequency was higher among owners working on a restomod or hot rod: 60% worked on the vehicle at least monthly. Among owners who just wanted a driver vehicle, 33% worked on it at least monthly. These different work patterns help explain why a classic-car business may see demand for consultation, parts, machining, fabrication, paint, electrical work, or final inspection even when the owner performs some tasks.
Timing also varied by the vehicle purchased. Overall, 45% of surveyed classic owners started work within one month of acquiring the vehicle. Among people who bought a beater or undrivable vehicle, 67% started within one month. Among people who bought a show car with no immediate need for work, 24% started within one month. The survey therefore points to an early burst of activity for projects needing recovery, while a finished show car produces a smaller immediate-work share.
Taken together, the available statistics support a broad employment picture: a large U.S. classic-vehicle base, billions of dollars in related 2021 parts sales, measurable owner interest in restoration and restomod projects, and substantial national occupations that supply mechanical and body skills. They do not provide a standalone count of classic British-car restoration employees. For that narrower question, the BLS figures are best used as restoration-adjacent labor benchmarks, with SEMA’s 2020 survey and 2021 estimate used to describe the customer and project context.