Diesel mechanic salary in Lake Charles, LA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Diesel mechanics in the Lake Charles, LA area earn a median of $57,410 a year, or $27.60 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $81,190. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $58,680; Lake Charles is 2% below it.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $18.41/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 140
- After cost of living
- $66,870
- Median hourly pay
- $27.60/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −7%
- vs Louisiana median
- −2%
- Mean (average) pay
- $58,360 a year · $28.06 an hour
Pay by percentile
What diesel mechanics in Lake Charles, LA 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.
| Percentile | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.41 | $38,300 |
| 25th percentile | $22.58 | $46,960 |
| Median (50th) | $27.60 | $57,410 |
| 75th percentile | $31.59 | $65,700 |
| 90th percentile | $39.04 | $81,190 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Lake Charles, LA compares
- Lake Charles ranks 6th of 10 Louisiana metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
- Diesel mechanics are less concentrated in the Lake Charles area than nationally: 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.72 times the U.S. share.
Other Louisiana metro areas
Other trades in Lake Charles, LA
Questions
- Do diesel mechanics make more in Lake Charles or Shreveport?
- Shreveport pays more: the median is $57,410 in Lake Charles and $60,490 in Shreveport, a 5% 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 29340 (Lake Charles, LA). 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 (85.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures