TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Grand Rapids, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Grand Rapids–Wyoming–Kentwood, MI area earn a median of $61,240 a year, or $29.44 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $84,280. That's about the same as the Michigan median of $61,420.

Median yearly pay$61,240
Bottom 10% under$45,170Top 10% over$84,280
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$21.72/hr
Jobs in this area
1,550
After cost of living
$64,090
Median hourly pay
$29.44/hr
vs U.S. median
−1%
vs Michigan median
0%
Mean (average) pay
$61,790 a year · $29.71 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 24340, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI). 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 Grand Rapids, MI 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$21.72$45,170
25th percentile$24.02$49,960
Median (50th)$29.44$61,240
75th percentile$31.32$65,140
90th percentile$40.52$84,280

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

How Grand Rapids, MI compares

  • Grand Rapids ranks 8th of 16 Michigan metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Grand Rapids area than nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Grand Rapids, MI

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Grand Rapids or Ann Arbor?
Ann Arbor pays more: the median is $61,240 in Grand Rapids and $65,770 in Ann Arbor, a 7% 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 24340 (Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI). 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 (95.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures