How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Dover, DE?

The median hourly wage is $29.72. The middle half earn between $25.75 and $37.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Dover, DE?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.82 an hour ($47,460 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.75.

Do diesel mechanics make more in Dover or Philadelphia?

Philadelphia pays more: the median is $61,820 in Dover and $64,550 in Philadelphia, a 4% difference.

How does Dover pay compare with the rest of Delaware?

The Dover median of $61,820 is 3% less than the Delaware median of $63,590.

Diesel mechanic salary in Dover, DE

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Dover, DE area earn a median of $61,820 a year, or $29.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $82,650 a year. That's 3% less than the Delaware median of $63,590.

Median yearly pay$61,820

Bottom 10% under$47,460Top 10% over$82,650

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $22.82/hr
Jobs in this area: 120
After cost of living: $63,400
Median hourly pay: $29.72/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Delaware median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20100, Dover, DE). Excludes self-employed diesel mechanics. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Entry-level to master diesel mechanic pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$47,460–$53,560$22.82–$25.75/hr
Experienced mechanic	$61,820$29.72/hr
Master / top earners	$78,120–$82,650$37.56–$39.74/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Dover, DE compares

Diesel mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Dover area as nationally: 1.8 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $82,650, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,460: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Delaware metro areas

Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington$64,550

Other trades in Dover, DE

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do diesel mechanics make in Dover, DE?: Diesel mechanics in the Dover, DE area earn a median of $61,820 a year, or $29.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $82,650 a year.
How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Dover, DE?: The median hourly wage is $29.72. The middle half earn between $25.75 and $37.56 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Dover, DE?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.82 an hour ($47,460 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.75.
Do diesel mechanics make more in Dover or Philadelphia?: Philadelphia pays more: the median is $61,820 in Dover and $64,550 in Philadelphia, a 4% difference.
How does Dover pay compare with the rest of Delaware?: The Dover median of $61,820 is 3% less than the Delaware median of $63,590.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-3031 (Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists), area code 20100 (Dover, DE). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed diesel mechanics and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (97.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures