TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Lexington, KY

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Lexington–Fayette, KY area earn a median of $57,470 a year, or $27.63 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $80,690. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $55,480; Lexington is 4% above it.

Median yearly pay$57,470
Bottom 10% under$44,210Top 10% over$80,690
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$21.26/hr
Jobs in this area
390
After cost of living
$61,870
Median hourly pay
$27.63/hr
vs U.S. median
−7%
vs Kentucky median
+4%
Mean (average) pay
$59,350 a year · $28.54 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 30460, Lexington-Fayette, KY). 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 Lexington, KY 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$21.26$44,210
25th percentile$23.95$49,820
Median (50th)$27.63$57,470
75th percentile$31.08$64,640
90th percentile$38.79$80,690

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

How Lexington, KY compares

  • Lexington ranks 4th of 9 Kentucky metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are less concentrated in the Lexington area than nationally: 1.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.72 times the U.S. share.

Other Kentucky metro areas

Other trades in Lexington, KY

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Lexington or Paducah?
Paducah pays more: the median is $57,470 in Lexington and $78,900 in Paducah, a 27% 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 30460 (Lexington-Fayette, KY). 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 (92.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures