TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Topeka, KS

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Topeka, KS area earn a median of $66,500 a year, or $31.97 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $82,860. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $59,460; Topeka is 12% above it.

Median yearly pay$66,500
Bottom 10% under$47,560Top 10% over$82,860
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$22.87/hr
Jobs in this area
290
After cost of living
$74,870
Median hourly pay
$31.97/hr
vs U.S. median
+8%
vs Kansas median
+12%
Mean (average) pay
$67,160 a year · $32.29 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 45820, Topeka, KS). 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 Topeka, KS 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$22.87$47,560
25th percentile$27.41$57,000
Median (50th)$31.97$66,500
75th percentile$39.84$82,860
90th percentile$39.84$82,860

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

How Topeka, KS compares

  • Topeka has the highest diesel mechanic median of the 7 Kansas metro areas with published pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Topeka area than nationally: 2.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.

Other Kansas metro areas

Other trades in Topeka, KS

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Topeka or Kansas City?
Topeka pays more: the median is $66,500 in Topeka and $62,570 in Kansas City, 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 45820 (Topeka, KS). 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 (88.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures