TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Indianapolis, IN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Indianapolis–Carmel–Greenwood, IN area earn a median of $61,710 a year, or $29.67 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $80,390. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $60,610; Indianapolis is 2% above it.

Median yearly pay$61,710
Bottom 10% under$46,530Top 10% over$80,390
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$22.37/hr
Jobs in this area
2,850
After cost of living
$64,490
Median hourly pay
$29.67/hr
vs U.S. median
0%
vs Indiana median
+2%
Mean (average) pay
$62,910 a year · $30.24 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 26900, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN). 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 Indianapolis, IN 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$22.37$46,530
25th percentile$24.14$50,210
Median (50th)$29.67$61,710
75th percentile$35.26$73,330
90th percentile$38.65$80,390

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

How Indianapolis, IN compares

  • Indianapolis ranks 3rd of 15 Indiana metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Indianapolis area than nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in Indianapolis, IN

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Indianapolis or Chicago?
Chicago pays more: the median is $61,710 in Indianapolis and $65,680 in Chicago, a 6% 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 26900 (Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN). 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 (95.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures