How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Kalamazoo, MI?

The median hourly wage is $28.94. The middle half earn between $23.68 and $30.91 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Kalamazoo, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.96 an hour ($45,680 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.68.

Do diesel mechanics make more in Kalamazoo or Ann Arbor?

Ann Arbor pays more: the median is $60,200 in Kalamazoo and $65,770 in Ann Arbor, a 8% difference.

How does Kalamazoo pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Kalamazoo median of $60,200 is 2% less than the Michigan median of $61,420.

Diesel mechanic salary in Kalamazoo, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Kalamazoo–Portage, MI area earn a median of $60,200 a year, or $28.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,190. That's 2% less than the Michigan median of $61,420.

Median yearly pay$60,200

Bottom 10% under$45,680Top 10% over$78,190

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $21.96/hr
Jobs in this area: 230
After cost of living: $63,480
Median hourly pay: $28.94/hr
vs U.S. median: −3%
vs Michigan median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 28020, Kalamazoo-Portage, 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.

Entry-level to master diesel mechanic pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$45,680–$49,250$21.96–$23.68/hr
Experienced mechanic	$60,200$28.94/hr
Master / top earners	$64,290–$78,190$30.91–$37.59/hr

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

How Kalamazoo, MI compares

Kalamazoo ranks 10th of 16 Michigan metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
Diesel mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Kalamazoo area as nationally: 1.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $78,190, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,680: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Kalamazoo, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do diesel mechanics make in Kalamazoo, MI?: Diesel mechanics in the Kalamazoo–Portage, MI area earn a median of $60,200 a year, or $28.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $78,190.
How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Kalamazoo, MI?: The median hourly wage is $28.94. The middle half earn between $23.68 and $30.91 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Kalamazoo, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.96 an hour ($45,680 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.68.
Do diesel mechanics make more in Kalamazoo or Ann Arbor?: Ann Arbor pays more: the median is $60,200 in Kalamazoo and $65,770 in Ann Arbor, a 8% difference.
How does Kalamazoo pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Kalamazoo median of $60,200 is 2% less than the Michigan median of $61,420.

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 28020 (Kalamazoo-Portage, 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 (94.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures