Salary expectations: how do you answer?, mechanic here

A recruiter asked for my salary expectations on a first call as I look for work as a mechanic. I am in Nashville, in case local advice matters. I looked up ranges in Nashville and they vary a lot. How do you research fairly?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

Benefits matter too. A slightly lower rate with better coverage was better for me.