Skip to content
TryHired.
Salary · Diesel Mechanic · United States

Diesel Mechanic salary: $61,770 median, and how to negotiate yours.

The full pay range by percentile, every state, the top-paying metro areas and similar roles, from the latest BLS survey. Place your own offer on the range.

Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025
Annual wage range · U.S. · BLS May 2025
$61,770median ($29.70/hr)

Quick answer

The median annual wage for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists in the United States was $61,770 in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44,530 and the top 10% earned more than $88,740. That median is 1.2 times the $50,980 median for all occupations. The highest-paying state was Hawaii ($80,080).

Data Government data groups this job as Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (O*NET-SOC 49-3031.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

10th percentile
$44,530
lowest-paid 10% earn less
25th percentile
$50,540
a quarter earn less
75th percentile
$75,470
a quarter earn more
90th percentile
$88,740
top 10% earn more
Pay by state

Diesel Mechanic salary in every state

Data BLS state estimates, May 2025. 51 states and DC published a median for this occupation. Sort by pay or by number employed.

Highest median pay
  1. Hawaii$80,080
  2. Washington$77,900
  3. Alaska$75,580
  4. Maryland$74,790
  5. California$73,950
Most people employed
  1. Texas29,870
  2. California20,940
  3. Florida14,900
  4. Ohio14,240
  5. New York13,230
Median annual wage by state
State10th–90th percentile
Hawaii$80,080$54,330–$100,540690
Washington$77,900$54,720–$102,8007,410
Alaska$75,580$52,000–$98,610860
Maryland$74,790$50,010–$97,8003,030
California$73,950$47,180–$96,73020,940
Massachusetts$73,270$49,400–$99,4604,870
New Jersey$72,340$49,140–$94,1508,160
New Hampshire$71,390$52,730–$99,5901,040
Colorado$70,480$47,450–$96,4504,600
New York$70,100$48,360–$90,09013,230
Nevada$68,410$48,770–$97,7201,990
Connecticut$67,300$45,260–$97,2202,860
Rhode Island$67,270$51,020–$85,420350
Minnesota$66,840$49,810–$90,5207,300
North Dakota$66,110$46,790–$91,5201,790
District of Columbia$65,200$49,930–$93,040110
Utah$64,350$46,970–$83,1402,690
Illinois$64,340$44,760–$97,67011,320
Oregon$63,970$47,690–$90,7003,770
Delaware$63,590$49,250–$82,650670
Wisconsin$62,450$45,250–$82,2106,750
Pennsylvania$61,740$45,910–$80,44012,630
Arizona$61,680$45,460–$84,3505,140
Wyoming$61,580$45,140–$80,4001,100
Michigan$61,420$45,240–$81,0109,020
Georgia$61,370$45,890–$85,26010,910
Virginia$61,090$45,250–$79,1508,070
Maine$60,850$45,760–$79,4501,380
Indiana$60,610$44,160–$79,7308,840
Florida$60,490$44,300–$79,21014,900
Ohio$60,470$44,860–$78,12014,240
Montana$59,990$44,880–$77,7001,230
Iowa$59,680$43,710–$80,0804,140
Kansas$59,460$43,610–$81,0003,300
Vermont$59,390$46,380–$84,060550
Missouri$59,360$41,170–$82,4806,780
South Carolina$59,330$41,440–$76,6703,360
Idaho$59,230$45,960–$77,8001,930
Tennessee$59,190$40,450–$80,5805,720
Nebraska$59,140$44,010–$79,4002,720
Texas$58,810$40,930–$81,66029,870
Louisiana$58,680$38,900–$79,1603,270
South Dakota$58,120$45,500–$78,8101,340
North Carolina$57,490$39,890–$76,24011,070
New Mexico$55,910$37,860–$83,2601,740
Kentucky$55,480$38,250–$80,5003,890
Oklahoma$55,340$37,250–$76,1303,970
Mississippi$54,360$37,390–$82,0203,140
Arkansas$52,330$38,620–$69,2604,090
Alabama$50,470$37,470–$75,6606,130
West Virginia$46,610$35,350–$78,4601,040
Top-paying metro areas

Where the median is highest

Data Metropolitan areas with at least 100 people employed in the occupation, BLS May 2025.

  1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$88,980
  2. Urban Honolulu, HI$85,040
  3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$82,330
  4. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$82,100
  5. Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA$80,450
  6. Boulder, CO$79,030
  7. Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA$78,960
  8. Paducah, KY-IL$78,900
  9. Bellingham, WA$78,330
  10. Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA$77,460
Similar roles

How the pay compares

Data National medians for related occupations (O*NET related roles, BLS pay).

  1. Diesel Mechanic$61,770
  2. Mechanic$50,620
Negotiation script builder

Ask for more, calmly and in writing

Advice Uses only what you type. Replace anything in brackets with something true.

Our view If you cite market data, cite this page's source: the BLS median for your state and the percentile your offer sits at. A specific, sourced number is easier to agree to than a feeling.

Method

How this page is built

Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 (national, state and metropolitan area), for the occupation shown. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: they include base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips, and exclude overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation, not entry or senior levels.

What this page can't tell you
  • Pay at a specific employer, or for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Experience level: percentiles are not seniority bands.
  • Equity, bonuses outside OEWS's definition, and benefits.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
  2. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
Keep exploring

More for Diesel Mechanics

More careers

Similar careers to explore