TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Lafayette, IN

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Lafayette–West Lafayette, IN area earn a median of $60,200 a year, or $28.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,740. Across all of Indiana, the median is $60,610, so Lafayette pays 1% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$60,200
Bottom 10% under$44,210Top 10% over$77,740
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$21.25/hr
Jobs in this area
210
After cost of living
$64,430
Median hourly pay
$28.94/hr
vs U.S. median
−3%
vs Indiana median
−1%
Mean (average) pay
$59,890 a year · $28.79 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29200, Lafayette-West Lafayette, 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 Lafayette, 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$21.25$44,210
25th percentile$23.71$49,320
Median (50th)$28.94$60,200
75th percentile$31.26$65,020
90th percentile$37.37$77,740

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

How Lafayette, IN compares

  • Lafayette ranks 6th of 15 Indiana metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Lafayette area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.

Other Indiana metro areas

Other trades in Lafayette, IN

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Lafayette or Chicago?
Chicago pays more: the median is $60,200 in Lafayette and $65,680 in Chicago, a 8% 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 29200 (Lafayette-West Lafayette, 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 (93.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures