Salary expectations: how do you answer? after 13 years as a mechanic

A recruiter asked for my salary expectations on a first call as I look for work as a mechanic. It has been a long 14 weeks. I looked up ranges in Wichita and they vary a lot. Does giving a range hurt?

I gave a range based on local postings and said I was flexible depending on the whole package. They did not push back.