How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Dalton, GA?

The median hourly wage is $28.28. The middle half earn between $24.27 and $33.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Dalton, GA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.83 an hour ($43,320 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.27.

Do diesel mechanics make more in Dalton or Savannah?

Savannah pays more: the median is $58,820 in Dalton and $72,770 in Savannah, a 19% difference.

How does Dalton pay compare with the rest of Georgia?

The Dalton median of $58,820 is 4% less than the Georgia median of $61,370.

Diesel mechanic salary in Dalton, GA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Dalton, GA area earn a median of $58,820 a year, or $28.28 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $77,770 a year. Across all of Georgia, the median is $61,370, so Dalton pays 4% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$58,820

Bottom 10% under$43,320Top 10% over$77,770

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $20.83/hr
Jobs in this area: 280
After cost of living: $65,470
Median hourly pay: $28.28/hr
vs U.S. median: −5%
vs Georgia median: −4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19140, Dalton, 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.

Entry-level to master diesel mechanic pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$43,320–$50,480$20.83–$24.27/hr
Experienced mechanic	$58,820$28.28/hr
Master / top earners	$70,370–$77,770$33.83–$37.39/hr

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

How Dalton, GA compares

Dalton ranks 5th of 14 Georgia metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Dalton area than nationally: 4.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.3 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $77,770, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,320: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Georgia metro areas

Other trades in Dalton, GA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do diesel mechanics make in Dalton, GA?: Diesel mechanics in the Dalton, GA area earn a median of $58,820 a year, or $28.28 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $77,770 a year.
How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Dalton, GA?: The median hourly wage is $28.28. The middle half earn between $24.27 and $33.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Dalton, GA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.83 an hour ($43,320 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.27.
Do diesel mechanics make more in Dalton or Savannah?: Savannah pays more: the median is $58,820 in Dalton and $72,770 in Savannah, a 19% difference.
How does Dalton pay compare with the rest of Georgia?: The Dalton median of $58,820 is 4% less than the Georgia median of $61,370.

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 19140 (Dalton, 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 (89.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures