TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Lakeland, FL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Lakeland–Winter Haven, FL area earn a median of $59,780 a year, or $28.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $77,110. Across all of Florida, the median is $60,490, so Lakeland pays 1% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$59,780
Bottom 10% under$42,530Top 10% over$77,110
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$20.45/hr
Jobs in this area
790
After cost of living
$61,540
Median hourly pay
$28.74/hr
vs U.S. median
−3%
vs Florida median
−1%
Mean (average) pay
$59,790 a year · $28.74 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29460, Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL). 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.

Pay by percentile

What diesel mechanics in Lakeland, FL earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$20.45$42,530
25th percentile$24.07$50,060
Median (50th)$28.74$59,780
75th percentile$32.48$67,550
90th percentile$37.07$77,110

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Lakeland, FL compares

  • Lakeland ranks 12th of 22 Florida metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Lakeland area than nationally: 3.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.

Other Florida metro areas

Other trades in Lakeland, FL

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Lakeland or Cape Coral?
Cape Coral pays more: the median is $59,780 in Lakeland and $62,010 in Cape Coral, a 4% difference.

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 29460 (Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL). 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 (97.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures