How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Dubuque, IA?

The median hourly wage is $27.71. The middle half earn between $23.65 and $30.88 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Dubuque, IA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.98 an hour ($45,720 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.65.

Do diesel mechanics make more in Dubuque or Des Moines?

Des Moines pays more: the median is $57,630 in Dubuque and $61,630 in Des Moines, a 6% difference.

How does Dubuque pay compare with the rest of Iowa?

The Dubuque median of $57,630 is 3% less than the Iowa median of $59,680.

Diesel mechanic salary in Dubuque, IA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Dubuque, IA area earn a median of $57,630 a year, or $27.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $78,060 a year. Across all of Iowa, the median is $59,680, so Dubuque pays 3% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$57,630

Bottom 10% under$45,720Top 10% over$78,060

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $21.98/hr
Jobs in this area: 170
After cost of living: $65,990
Median hourly pay: $27.71/hr
vs U.S. median: −7%
vs Iowa median: −3%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 20220, Dubuque, IA). 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	$45,720–$49,190$21.98–$23.65/hr
Experienced mechanic	$57,630$27.71/hr
Master / top earners	$64,230–$78,060$30.88–$37.53/hr

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

How Dubuque, IA compares

Dubuque has the lowest diesel mechanic median of the 9 Iowa metro areas with published pay.
Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Dubuque area than nationally: 3.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $78,060, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,720: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Iowa metro areas

Other trades in Dubuque, IA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic

Questions

How much do diesel mechanics make in Dubuque, IA?: Diesel mechanics in the Dubuque, IA area earn a median of $57,630 a year, or $27.71 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $78,060 a year.
How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Dubuque, IA?: The median hourly wage is $27.71. The middle half earn between $23.65 and $30.88 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Dubuque, IA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.98 an hour ($45,720 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.65.
Do diesel mechanics make more in Dubuque or Des Moines?: Des Moines pays more: the median is $57,630 in Dubuque and $61,630 in Des Moines, a 6% difference.
How does Dubuque pay compare with the rest of Iowa?: The Dubuque median of $57,630 is 3% less than the Iowa median of $59,680.

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 20220 (Dubuque, IA). 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 (87.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures