TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Athens, GA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Athens–Clarke County, GA area earn a median of $50,820 a year, or $24.43 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $74,610. Across all of Georgia, the median is $61,370, so Athens pays 17% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$50,820
Bottom 10% under$37,570Top 10% over$74,610
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$18.06/hr
Jobs in this area
100
After cost of living
$54,440
Median hourly pay
$24.43/hr
vs U.S. median
−18%
vs Georgia median
−17%
Mean (average) pay
$54,730 a year · $26.31 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 12020, Athens-Clarke County, GA). 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 Athens, GA 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$18.06$37,570
25th percentile$22.10$45,970
Median (50th)$24.43$50,820
75th percentile$29.74$61,860
90th percentile$35.87$74,610

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

How Athens, GA compares

  • Athens ranks 12th of 14 Georgia metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are less concentrated in the Athens area than nationally: 1.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.53 times the U.S. share.

Other Georgia metro areas

Other trades in Athens, GA

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Athens or Savannah?
Savannah pays more: the median is $50,820 in Athens and $72,770 in Savannah, a 30% 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 12020 (Athens-Clarke County, GA). 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 (93.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures