Is your dealership competitive as an employer? Or could you be making more money at other stores or selling other brands in your region?
And even if the money's good, are the hours miserable and benefits lackluster compared to what could be found elsewhere?
Automotive News and partner firm Research + Knowledge = Insights surveyed more than 1,000 franchised dealership professionals from Aug. 1 to Oct. 26, 2023, in our Dealership Salary Survey. Read details on dealership pay and benefits for both supervisors and employees.
Automotive News Dealership Salary Survey: 2023 average pay was $200K, but with 50-hour workweek
Sun, Jan 21, 12:30 am
U.S. auto retail employees expected to earn more than $200,000 in wages, commissions and bonuses on average in 2023, according to the Automotive News Dealership Salary Survey, nearly three times higher than what the average American made in 2022. But that big money came with a workweek in excess of 50 hours, the study found.
Auto retail professionals make great money — but men make an average of $74,300 more
Sun, Jan 21, 12:28 am
Auto retail employees make more money than the average U.S. worker, with the average male employee at a franchised dealership expecting to make three times as much in 2023, Automotive News found. The average woman in the industry predicted their earnings at double the national average.
Pay, flexibility, career growth keys to auto retail retention
Sun, Jan 21, 12:26 am
Pay and work schedules hold two keys to retaining auto retail employees, according to the Automotive News Dealership Salary Survey and an industry employment expert.
Automotive News Dealership Compensation Calculator
Sun, Jan 21, 12:24 am
See how your pay stacks up against the expected 2023 incomes of other U.S. auto retail employees and managers.
2024 Automotive News Dealership Salary Survey highlights
Sun, Jan 21, 12:22 am
The average employee surveyed predicted their 2023 income would surpass $200,000.
Annual salary by auto retail manager and nonmanager
Sun, Jan 21, 12:21 am
Both dealership managers and nonmanagers expected to make 6 figures in 2023.
Annual salary by auto dealership departments
Sun, Jan 21, 12:20 am
Commission-reliant auto retail variable operations professionals expected to make significantly less in 2023 compared with 2022.
Annual salary by gender
Sun, Jan 21, 12:19 am
Female dealership employees expected to make significantly less on average than their male counterparts.
Annual salary by education
Sun, Jan 21, 12:18 am
A high school graduate can make a 6-figure annual income in auto retail.
Annual salary by dealerships owned by public companies vs. privately owned stores
Sun, Jan 21, 12:17 am
Employees at publicly traded dealership groups expected to make less on average in 2023 than peers working for privately held auto retailers.
Annual salary by auto retail positions
Sun, Jan 21, 12:16 am
Here's a detailed look at what employees expected to earn in 2023 in various jobs.
Annual salary by U.S. region
Sun, Jan 21, 12:15 am
Dealerships and groups in the western U.S. on average paid better than those in other parts of the country, while personnel reported spending the most time on the job in the South.
Annual salary by age
Sun, Jan 21, 12:13 am
Millennials expected to make more than $200,000 on average working in the auto retail industry last year.
Annual salary by number of hours worked
Sun, Jan 21, 12:13 am
Auto dealership professionals who reported putting in more time each week and relying on commissions also earned more on average than other colleagues.
